E-cigs Raise Risk of Chronic Lung Disease, Especially in Those Who Also Smoke
Using e-cigarettes significantly increases the risk of developing chronic lung diseases like asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a study found. Dual users — those who smoke tobacco and use e-cigarettes — are at an even higher risk than people with only one of these habits. Previous studies have suggested that e-cigarettes can kill cells in the lungs, reduce the organ’s immune response, and trigger inflammation. Cross-sectional studies also found a link between the use of e-cigarettes, known as vaping, and chronic lung disease. However, since these studies only examine one point in time, it was impossible to determine if vaping increased the risk of lung diseases, or if people with lung diseases were more likely to use e-cigarettes. The team analyzed publicly available data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH), which tracked e-cigarette and tobacco use, as well as newly diagnosed lung disease in more than 3