Electronic Cigarette Side Effects

E-cigarettes and other "vaping" products are still relatively new. Numerous variations of these devices are available for purchase, and multiple substances can be employed, making researching them challenging. Thus, more research is required over a longer period to determine potential long-term health implications.

The two most crucial things to be aware of are that e-cigarettes still have unclear long-term consequences and that all tobacco products, especially e-cigarettes, can harm the user's health. E-cigarettes, for instance, can irritate the lungs and damage the heart.

Most e-cigs contain nicotine, which is addictive and may encourage some people who wouldn't otherwise use tobacco to start using tobacco products. There is some evidence that teens' developing brains are harmed by nicotine.

Although the long-term health impacts of e-cigarette use are not yet known, some users of e-cigarettes and other vaping devices have been reported to have serious lung illnesses in 2019.

WHAT IS AN E-CIGARETTE?

• The sizes and shapes of e-cigarettes vary widely. The majority have a heating part, a battery, and a container for a beverage.
• By heating an e-juice with nicotine (an addictive chemical found in traditional cigarettes and other tobacco products), flavourings, and other compounds that contribute to the aerosol's creation, e-cigarettes create an aerosol. This aerosol is breathed in by users. When the user exhales into the air, bystanders can also inhale this aerosol.
• There are numerous names for e-cigarettes. E-cigs, tank systems, mods, e-hookahs, vapes, vape pens, and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are some of the other names.
• Some electronic cigarettes resemble traditional cigarettes, tobacco, or pipes. Others resemble USB devices, pens, and other commonplace objects. Larger gadgets like tank systems, or "mods," differ from traditional tobacco products in appearance.
• Vaping is another term for using an e-cigarette.
• Cannabis and other narcotics can be delivered through e-cigarettes.

WHAT IS VAPING?

The use of an electronic cigarette is frequently referred to as "vaping." E-cigarettes are battery-operated gadgets that heat a liquid solution into a vapour that may be inhaled, usually but not always containing nicotine. Many flavours, such as mint, apple, and others, might make vaping appealing if the underlying nicotine mixture is unappealing, especially to teenagers.

When you vape, you use a small, portable device (such as an e-cigarette, a vape pen, or a mod) to inhale a flavor- and nicotine-containing mist (e-liquid). Vaping is comparable to smoking a cigarette, but instead of burning tobacco, it heats microscopic particles out of a liquid.

WHAT ARE THE DANGERS ASSOCIATED WITH VAPING?

Nicotine is addictive regardless of how it is delivered.

Most conversations about getting teenagers to stop vaping ignore the possibility that they may already be addicted. According to studies, quitting a nicotine addiction may be more difficult than quitting a heroin addiction. Teenagers in this stage frequently require substitutes or drugs, like bupropion, to help control the sometimes-overwhelming cravings.

If you've ever attempted to stop smoking, or if a friend or a family member has, you know how challenging it may be. As a result, in some circumstances, switching from tobacco to e-cigarettes is still a viable option for people who have smoked for a longer time.

E-cigarette flavours and stabilisers may trigger unidentified irritation to sensitive lung tissue.

One only needs to turn on the national headlines to learn about the rising number of incidents in which vaping kids suffered serious, often irreparable lung damage and even died in the worst cases. Teenagers frequently believe that bad things only happen to other people, yet vaping has genuine risks.

Many teenagers go above and beyond by putting harmful chemicals like CBD oil, cannabis, and other substances in their vaping products. It's difficult for doctors to treat individuals who arrive at the emergency room in respiratory distress due to vaping. It might be challenging to accurately determine what someone ingested, especially if they're asleep.

Vaping can be done for far longer periods than smoking a regular cigarette.

Almost all smokes are consumed within two to five minutes. Did you know that? On the other hand, e-cigarettes can last up to 20 minutes while also providing the lungs with additional nicotine and harmful substances. Furthermore, some vaping mixes might have 20 times as much nicotine as a single cigarette.

There may be effects on brain development.

According to facts and data from a recent report from the surgeon general, nicotine can damage focus and brain development. Additionally, young adults' nicotine use might lead to other illegal substances.

ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE SIDE EFFECTS

Some people start vaping or inhaling the vapour from electronic cigarettes to avoid the health risks associated with smoking tobacco-based cigarettes. E-cigarettes are equally as risky as traditional cigarettes when it refers to your heart health, if not more so.

E-cigarettes expose individuals to high rates of ultrafine particles and other carcinogens. These may significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular and noncancer lung diseases. It's a proven fact even though they deliver lower amounts of carcinogens than conventional cigarettes and may reduce users' risk of developing cancer (though not zero cancer risk). E-cigarettes are expected to pose comparable long-term cardiac and pulmonary hazards as conventional cigarettes due to parallels between their effects and those of traditional cigarettes on factors that determine heart and lung disease.

Blood Cholesterol Effects

Researchers examined how e-cigarettes affected blood lipids and glucose levels in the first study. They gathered 476 healthy human subjects without cardiovascular disease that were either nonsmokers, e-cig alone smokers, e-cigarette and tobacco cigarette smokers, or tobacco cigarette only smokers.

Results showed that e-cigarette users had greater levels of total cholesterol and LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, than nonsmokers.

The findings, according to the researchers, show that tobacco smokers who move to use e-cigarettes as a healthier option to tobacco won't gain from the change.

Cholesterol plays a significant role in developing coronary artery disease and heart attacks.

Blood Flow Effects

In the second study, researchers examined the cardiac blood flow of 19 young adult smokers before and after they smoked either e-cigarettes or traditional cigarettes as a measure of coronary vascular function. They used a myocardial contrast echocardiogram to assess coronary vascular function while subjects were at rest and during a handgrip activity designed to mimic physiological stress.

After inhaling a cigarette, blood flow among smokers of tobacco cigarettes slightly increased before decreasing in response to stress. However, in smokers, blood flow is reduced after a resting inhalation and after stressing the handgrip.

The findings, according to researchers, indicate that e-cigarette use may cause users, particularly those at risk for vascular disease, as much harm or even more.

Cancer

The majority of the debate around e-cigarette health implications has centered on cancer. E-cigarettes carry fewer carcinogens than traditional cigarettes, and e-cigarette users' bodies contain fewer carcinogens than smokers do. Even though these findings point to e-cigarettes being less likely to cause cancer than conventional cigarettes, they nevertheless deliver chemicals that can have an impact at extremely low levels with repeated exposure.

The urine of vape users has been found to contain known bladder carcinogens, but not the urine of nonusers. Despite not being a cancer-causing substance, nicotine does speed up tumour growth and encourages the development of blood vessels that supply tumours.

Cardiovascular Disease

E-cigarettes negatively impact the cardiovascular system. Despite the ongoing controversy about nicotine's specific function in cardiovascular disease, other physiologically active substances are present in e-cigarette aerosol. E-cigarettes deliver nicotine deep inside the lungs by producing an aerosol of incredibly small particles. These particles are sometimes even smaller than those seen in regular cigarettes. These tiny particles are biologically active, cause inflammation, and are directly linked to cardiovascular illness and sudden cardiac arrest.

Even modest exposure levels to ultrafine particles significantly impact cardiovascular risk, according to the nonlinear dose-response effect for particle exposure. For instance, passive smoking has almost the same impact on several cardiovascular disease risk factors and the risk of an acute myocardial infarction as active smoking does. E-cigarette users are also exposed to acrolein and other aldehydes when using them. They undergo more oxidative stress and increased production of inflammatory mediators, much like traditional cigarette smokers do. Aerosol from e-cigarettes causes platelet activation, aggregation, and adhesion as well. An elevated risk of cardiovascular disease is linked to all these changes.

Lung Disease

Like cardiovascular illness, e-cigarette aerosol exposure harms the lungs and lung capacity. Chronic pulmonary inflammation, host defense reduction, mucus hypersecretion, neutrophil inflammation, and protease-mediated lung tissue damage are all linked to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. They're brought on by repeated exposure to acrolein, which is created by heating the propylene glycol and glycerine in e-liquids. Additionally, users of e-cigarettes are exposed to free radicals that are extremely oxidising. E-cigarettes enhance oxidative stress and lung inflammation while suppressing the immune system, according to animal research.

EVALI

The acronym EVALI stands for electronic cigarette and vaping injury. This severe lung disease is brought on by vaping. One potential culprit is vitamin E acetate, which is included in several e-liquids.

Thousands of individuals were hospitalized due to an EVALI outbreak in late 2019 and early 2020. A minimum of 68 individuals perished. Since then, EVALI instances have decreased, but vapers can still contract EVALI.

Most hospitalized patients with severe EVALI were under 35 and consumed THC-containing vapes from questionable sources (online, family, or friends). However, EVALI can occur in anyone who uses a vape pen that contains either nicotine or THC.

Immediate Side Effects

• Mouth and airway irritation
• Persistent coughing
• Vomiting
• Relaxation
• Chest pain
• Nausea
• E-cigarette overheating or exploding
• Poison from e-cigarette liquid (if swallowed)

Long-Term Side Effects

• Harm to the developing adolescent brain
• Respiratory (breathing) problems
• Permanent lung damage due to e-cigs
• Death due to lung damage
• Dependence

TIPS ON HOW TO QUIT VAPING

Vaping cessation is identical to stopping smoking, maintaining a healthy diet, or changing any other behavior. It's a process that you won't complete overnight. You can create a strategy to guide you:

• Set objectives, even if they call for gradually reducing vaping.
• Decide when to stop. Check that it isn't too far away or occurring simultaneously as a stressful event.
• Speak with a doctor, therapist, or guidance counselor at your child's school about quitting. They can offer you support while you create a plan that works for you.
• Ask your provider, therapist, or school counselor to learn about free resources to assist you in quitting, such as online, texting, and phone programs or apps.
• Inform your loved ones about your intentions to quit. They can encourage and hold you responsible for following through on your plan.
• List the reasons why you wish to stop vaping. Throughout the quitting process, keep it in your mind or on your mind.
• Avoid triggers and temptations. Try to avoid or substitute other activities for the occasions where you would often vape.
• Get moving. Exercise makes you feel better and diverts your attention from wanting to vape.
• Be aware that you may have urges and negative consequences, like headaches or nervousness. You can control cravings with nicotine gum, patches, or other drugs.
• Yoga, meditation, and deep or rhythmic breathing can help you relax.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT E-CIGARETTES

Is it safe to smoke e-cigarettes when pregnant?

There hasn't been much investigation into how safe e-cigarettes and e-liquids are during pregnancy. Whether the vapour is detrimental to a developing baby during pregnancy is unknown.

Pregnant women are advised to use approved NRT products like patches and gum to assist them in quitting smoking.

However, using an e-cigarette to stop smoking and maintain your quit is significantly safer for you and your child than continuing to use cigarettes.

Are e-cigarettes a fire hazard?

It has happened that e-cigarettes have exploded or caught fire.

The correct charger must be used, as with all rechargeable electrical systems, and the device shouldn't be left overnight or unattended while charging.

Is the vapour from e-cigarettes dangerous to others?

There's currently no proof that vaping is harmful to those around you. Contrary to passive smoking, which is proven extremely detrimental to health, is secondhand smoke.