United States.- Add another new health risk to the use of e-cigarettes. Recent research shows vaping stiffens and hardens your blood vessels immediately. The small study of young adults found that even nicotine-free e-cigarettes caused a brief reduction in blood vessel function. The long-term consequences are unclear. But the researchers noted that the findings broaden evidence that e-cigarettes are not benign, and not just because they contain nicotine. The liquid used in the devices also appears to be harmful.
“We know from research that liquids for e-cigarettes contain ultrafine chemicals and particles that are toxic and carcinogenic to the human body,” said Pat Aussem, director of content and development Center on Addiction, a nonprofit organization. Aussem, who was not involved in the study, said the findings expand on growing evidence of the short-term damage of vaping. These risks, he noted, include acute lung injuries, wheezing and exacerbation of asthma, and “nicotine toxicity,” which can lead to vomiting, migraines and seizures. Less is known about the long-term health consequences, Aussem said. But he added that impairments in the function of blood vessels or lung cells are likely to contribute to heart or lung problems in the future. And in adolescents and young adults, Aussem noted, concerns don’t just include those long-term health problems. Nicotine affects the developing brain in ways that could alter young people’s learning and behavior, and “prepare” them to be more vulnerable to other substance abuse. E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that work by heating a liquid containing nicotine and other substances, such as propylene glycol and glycerol. Heating creates a “steam” that is inhaled.
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“People often think that the only damage comes from nicotine,” said the study’s senior author, Felix Wehrli. University of Pennsylvania,however, based on government figures, many young e-cigarette users are unaware of this fact. Today, U.S. teens are more likely to vape than smoking, according to the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse. Among high school seniors, 16 percent said they had used e-cigarettes in the previous month, while only 11 percent had smoked.
And among vaping youth, two-thirds believe that devices “contain only (contain) flavorings.” 14 percent more don’t know what they’re inhaling. In the last study, Wehrli’s team asked 31 young adults who did not smoke to inhale the vapour from an e-cigarette containing the liquid ingredients for e-cigarettes, except nicotine. Everyone’s blood function was measured before and after vaping, through MRI of the large femoral artery in the leg. Researchers used a sphygmomanometer to first tighten the blood vessels in the thigh. They then loosened the sphygmomanometer and measured the dilation of the femoral artery in response to blood flow.
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Overall, he found the study, the participants’ arteries showed a 34 percent reduction in dilation after vaping. In turn, that means less blood and oxygen flow to the leg. The effect was observed one to two hours after vaping, according to Wehrli. If someone used e-cigarettes repeatedly over time, this could increase the risk of heart disease.” It should be a warning to young people to avoid these products,” Wehrli.Aussem agreed. “It’s important to know that while (vaping) it may be safer than smoking conventional cigarettes, there are significant short-term and long-term health risks,” he added. The findings appear in the August 20 online issue of Radiology magazine.
