Using electronic cigarettes, or vaping, is often touted as a healthier alternative to smoking tobacco. But vaping can cause lung injury, even with short-term use, and the long-term effects of vaping are still up in the air. We spoke with a lung doctor at 麻豆学生精品版 to learn more.
Meet our expert: Andrew Freeman, MD, associate professor in pulmonary medicine at U of U Health
What does vaping do to your lungs in the short term?
Vaping can cause a significant inflammatory injury to the lungs termed e-cigarette or vaping-associated lung injury (EVALI). Some common symptoms of EVALI include shortness of breath, pain when breathing, and cough. In more serious cases, blood oxygen levels start to drop. Symptoms may develop very quickly, over the course of a few days, or more slowly, over months.
What鈥檚 going on inside your lungs with EVALI can vary, but generally it involves significant amounts of lung inflammation. In a severe lung injury called acute respiratory distress syndrome, widespread inflammation and fluid buildup in the lungs can cause significant lung damage over days to weeks.
Most people who vape do not get EVALI, but it鈥檚 currently unknown what exactly triggers the injury. Researchers strongly suspect that vape juice that contains vitamin E acetate is of particular concern, but THC (the psychoactive component of cannabis) may also increase the risk.
However, people can get EVALI from nicotine-only vapes as well. Additionally, risk may be different between individuals. 鈥淚 think there鈥檚 probably a lot of variability within people in terms of how easily they may develop an injury like this,鈥 Freeman says. 鈥淏ut it seems like more frequent users are more at risk.鈥
While there was a large spike in EVALI cases in 2019 that has since subsided, Freeman still sees occasional cases in his clinic or the hospital.
How is EVALI treated?
Freeman says that when treating EVALI, 鈥淭he first and foremost thing is getting away from repeated exposures of the trigger.鈥 In other words, the first step is to stop vaping and allow the lungs to recover.
If you have a more severe case of EVALI, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome, you may need increasing amounts of supplemental oxygen and potentially a stay in the hospital. Medical providers may also prescribe steroids to help reduce inflammation in the lung. If you have a lung infection alongside EVALI, doctors may also prescribe antibiotics.
What are the long-term health consequences of vaping?
Because modern e-cigarettes only came into popular use about two decades ago, their full long-term health consequences are still unknown. Vaping has been linked to like asthma or chronic bronchitis, as well as , and continuing to vape after an EVALI diagnosis may cause permanent scarring in your lungs. Vaping may also .
The wide variety of chemicals present in vape juice makes it difficult to know how dangerous any given product might be. Some vapor can contain unhealthy levels of toxic metals, . And some of the flavorings in vapor .
Freeman says that, most likely, vaping will have other negative long-term consequences for lung health.
鈥淥ur lungs are not a good organ to absorb substances for recreational use,鈥 Freeman says. 鈥淭hey are an incredible organ, providing our bodies with vital oxygen and exchanging carbon dioxide, all while protecting us from infections and other harmful elements from our environment. We all begin to slowly lose lung function after about our early to mid-20s, and yet they must last us a lifetime. If people don鈥檛 take care of their lungs, they really suffer more difficulties breathing later in life due to habits such as vaping.鈥
Is vaping better for you than smoking?
Smoking cigarettes is known to cause serious and deadly health consequences, including lung cancer. Some people see vaping as a safer alternative to cigarettes, or as a tool to help stop smoking. But given the known short-term health consequences of vaping, and its largely unknown long-term health consequences, Freeman advises that people avoid vaping as well.
鈥淭here are other options for temporary nicotine replacement therapy to assist with quitting tobacco cigarettes,鈥 Freeman says. 鈥淲hile there is that some people are more successful at quitting tobacco cigarettes by replacing them with nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, there is still additional risk of more nicotine addiction, and many people then continue smoking both e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes. Longer-term than traditional cigarettes alone. So while it may be temporarily better to make this step first, you need to have a plan to get beyond that and stop vaping.鈥
If you鈥檙e ready to quit vaping鈥攐r smoking鈥攖he Utah Department of Health and Human Services offers , including personalized coaching and nicotine replacement therapy.