According to a new study, those who use hookahs and e-cigarettes may be more likely to experience inflammation and malignancies of the nose, sinuses, and throat because of the way they exhale when using these products.
Researchers discovered that compared to those who smoke cigarettes, who normally exhale the emissions from their mouth, vapers and hookah users are more than twice as likely to exhale particles through their nose.
The study’s lead author, Emma Karey, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow in the department of environmental medicine at NYU Langone Health in New York City, says, “This matters because the way vapers and hookah smokers use their devices may expose the nose and sinuses to far more emissions than cigarettes, which may in turn increase their risk of upper respiratory diseases.” The results were released on February 28 in the journal Tobacco Use Insights.
One in six young adults regularly vape.
A vapour that may contain nicotine as well as flavourings, solvents, and other compounds can be inhaled via electronic cigarettes, electronic hookahs, and vape pens. There are numerous different types of e-cigarettes and e-hookahs, including those that resemble cigarettes, pipes, pens, USB sticks, cartridges, refillable tanks, pods, and modifications.
According to a July 2021 Gallup poll, cigarette smoking still outnumbers vaping in popularity (16% of U.S. people smoke compared to 6% who report having vaped in the preceding week, including using e-cigarettes).
Some demographics favour vaping more than others:
The majority of young individuals (18 to 29) who report routinely vaping do so (17%).
Americans who report using e-cigarettes are substantially more likely to do so than those in higher income categories to have an annual household income of less than $40,000.
At rates of 7 percent and 3 percent, respectively, Americans without a college degree are twice as likely to vape on a regular basis.
More Frequently Do Hooker and Vaper Users Exhale Through the Nose
Between March 2018 and February 2019, researchers secretly observed 123 vapers and 122 cigarette smokers on the streets of New York City to learn more about how people used e-cigarettes, vaping equipment, and hookahs. 96 smokers were observed at two hookah bars in Manhattan.
They discovered that whereas just 22% of e-cigarette users exhaled through their nose, 63 percent of vapers and 50 percent of hookah users did.
More than 70% of people who used pod-like devices exhaled through their nose at some time during the observation period, compared to 50% of people who utilised modular tanks.
Because vaping products come in a range of flavours, such as pineapple, bubblegum, and blue raspberry, Dr. Karey notes that users may exhale through the nose. Because fragrance improves flavour, she speculates that vapers may be more prone to exhale through their nose.
The Risk of Disease and Greater Inflammation May Be Associated with Nasal Exhalation
Researchers discovered more harm in the nasal passages of hookah and vape users in an earlier, related study. Inflammation levels among gadget users were up to 10 times higher than those of regular cigarette smokers.
Since it implies that the tissue may have undergone damage, “this form of prolonged inflammation is where we start to become worried with pathologies and diseases,” according to Karey.
According to Terry Gordon, PhD, a professor in the department of environmental medicine at NYC Langone Health and the study’s principal author, the relationship between how people smoke and their possible health hazards has been observed before. In comparison to cigarette smokers, who inhale more deeply, persons who smoke cigars don’t inhale as deeply and are more likely to develop mouth cancer.
According to Adam Goldstein, MD, MPH, a professor in the UNC department of family medicine and the head of tobacco intervention programmes at the UNC School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, these findings are consistent with what is already known about the harms these products provide. The latest investigation did not involve Dr. Goldstein.
“Combustible tobacco products, such as cigarettes, water pipes, and cigars, have long been recognised to increase the chance of developing a variety of cancers in various bodily organs, including malignancies of the nose and sinuses. The majority of organ tissues and the circulation are exposed to these cancer-causing chemicals, according to Goldstein.
Even while, at least in laboratory research, vaping is probably safer than combustible tobacco, this does not imply that it is secure, according to him. “Users of vaping are exposed to numerous harmful substances. “Smoking items like hookah are hazardous to the user as well as those exposed to secondhand hookah smoke, regardless of how they are smoked,” claims Goldstein.
Different health risks may be associated with new smoking products than with conventional cigarettes.
According to Karey, the risks associated with using e-cigarettes, vaping pens, and hookahs vary depending on how they are used. For these new and growing alternative products, the most crucial health endpoints might no longer be a “one-size-fits-all” because of how people use them, which may shift where the risk manifests itself.
Dr. Gordon says that while comparing the risks of various smoking ways, it is important to take both lung and nasal diseases into account.
Goldstein queries if additional research is necessary on various tobacco products or potential variations in dangers based on modest changes in smoking habit. “For example, we believed for two decades that cigarettes with filters were safer. This idea was wholly untrue, and it prevented us from better comprehending how people can try to and maintain quitting, the author argues.
There is no evidence that electronic cigarettes and vaping pens may help people quit smoking.
Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not recognised e-cigarettes and vape pens as a method of quitting smoking, some people do. According to MedlinePlus, e-cigarettes have not been proven to be a secure or successful method of quitting smoking.
Regarding e-cigarettes and vaping, there is disagreement in the medical community, according to Karey. If a person is going to either do this or smoke cigarettes, these could be a harm-reducing strategy. You’re introducing possible danger where there would have previously been no risk, she says, if teenagers start using e-cigarettes but never would have smoked cigarettes.
The usage of e-cigarettes may actually make later cigarette smoking more likely. According to a study that appeared in Pediatrics in February 2021, e-cigarette users between the ages of 12 and 24 were three times more likely to start smoking cigarettes regularly in the future.
According to MedlinePlus, there are a few considerations to consider before using e-cigarettes:
There is no proof that using e-cigarettes for a prolonged period of time is secure.
E-cigarettes may contain a variety of toxic materials, including carcinogens and heavy metals.
E-cigarettes’ components aren’t listed on the packaging, so it’s unclear what’s in them and how much nicotine is in each cartridge.
The study’s main message should not be that hookah or vape users should alter the way they exhale, according to both the authors and Goldstein. According to Goldstein, individuals should pay attention to the free resources that are readily available in every state to assist people in permanently quitting smoking.
The CDC provides resources and information on how to start if you wish to stop smoking.
Ref: https://www.everydayhealth.com/stop-smoking/vapers-and-hookah-users-may-have-increased-risk-of-diseases-of-the-nose/
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