Vape users suffer more lung inflammation than people who smoke regular cigarettes, study finds.
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania say electronic devices cause «unique» damage to the lungs that is not yet fully understood.
The study is the latest evidence to underscore how vaping is not the safe quitting method it was originally touted to be.
Other researchers have found that e-cigarettes cause heart and lung damage comparable to that of traditional cigarettes.
Researchers found that vapers suffered more inflammation in their lungs than people who smoked regular cigarettes (file photo)
The radiotracer used by the researchers was able to highlight areas of inflammation in the lungs in 45 seconds (red)
Researchers gave 15 people a chemical tracer that sticks to inflamed lungs and makes it visible on CT scans.
Participants were either vapers, traditional smokers, or people who had never used either device.
The results showed significantly more inflammation in the lungs of vapers than smokers or non-smokers.
But interestingly, tobacco smokers suffered no more inflammation than those who did not use either device.
“We find evidence that [e-cigarette] use causes a unique inflammatory response in the lungs,” the researchers wrote in the study.
More than 2.5 million American minors use e-cigarettes, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published last year.
Experts have described the use of young people as a crisis, and some are warning that America will face an increase in lung-related health problems in the future.
«Commercial use of tobacco products continues to threaten the health of our nation’s youth,» said Dr. Deirdre Lawrence Kittner, director of the CDC’s Office on Tobacco and Health, in November.
For the Penn study, researchers brought together five non-smokers, five people who smoke typical combustible cigarettes, and five vapers.
They were age- and sex-matched to control inflammation related to outside factors.
Each received an injection of a radiotracer called 207 MBq F-18 NOS. These traces are often used to find radioactive irregularities because they can be spotted on CT scans.
In cancer treatment, for example, a doctor can inject a tracer that binds to tumor tissue and scan a person for signs that they may soon develop the disease.
Within 42 seconds of injection, the tracer had completely covered a person’s lungs and could detect signs of inflammation.
The researchers, who published their results last week in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine, found no difference in lung inflammation between nonsmokers and cigarette users.
However, they found a significant increase in lung inflammation in the vaping group compared to the others.
Lung inflammation is not always permanent or severe. It is well known that some suffer from lung inflammation after suffering from a viral illness like the common cold.
In some cases, however, the inflammation can lead to tissue scarring – which could later lead to cancer.
This type of damage is also linked to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The true impact of e-cigarettes on the lungs is still being researched by health officials, but early data shows the devices could have devastating long-term effects.
A chemical included in many flavored vaping products, diacetyl, has been linked to the devastating condition of popcorn lung.
Medically known as bronchiolitis obliterans, it occurs when the chemical forms scar tissue in the lungs and blocks airflow.
Other studies have linked long-term vaping to pulmonary airway obstruction, which is linked to conditions such as asthma and COPD.
Another recent study found that the devices can cause DNA damage comparable to cigarettes, putting users at risk of developing cancer in the future.
The devices are still believed to be less harmful than cigarettes, with combustible versions being linked to many types of cancer and lung disease.