Study links lung conditions to young people who vape
Young people who vape are more at risk of bronchitis and shortness of breath, research has suggested, even if they also smoke cigarettes.
Researchers from the US tracked the respiratory health of young people in the Southern California Children’s Health Study between 2014 and 2018.
They conducted surveys which asked about people’s vape and cigarette use in the last 30 days. Researchers also included questions on bronchitic symptoms, such as a daily cough for three months in a row, as well as wheezing and shortness of breath.
The study found the odds of wheezing were 81 per cent more likely among past 30-day e-cigarette users than among “never users”. The odds of bronchitic symptoms were twice as likely, while those of shortness of breath were 78 per cent more likely after accounting for survey wave, age, sex, race and parental education.
The researchers said their findings contribute to “emerging evidence from human and toxicological studies that e-cigarettes cause respiratory symptoms that warrant consideration in regulation of e-cigarettes.”
Jon Foster, policy manager at Asthma + Lung UK, said it is “interesting” the study found a link between vaping and lung conditions in young people, but pointed out the regulation around the amount of nicotine and chemicals used in e-cigarettes is “much tighter” in the UK than the US. “More research would be needed to find out if the situation in the UK is the same,” he added. “However, given that we still know little about long-term effects, the growing popularity of vaping among children and young people is concerning.”
Source: Independent, 16 August 2023