Review Looks Into The Relationship Between Vaping And Respiratory Health

by Peter lam April 9, 2023

A new study published on BMJ has reviewed the literature related to vaping and respiratory health including studies about the 2019 EVALI outbreak, COVID-19 outcomes and any respiratory symptoms experienced by regular vapers.

Conducted by a clinical assistant professor at the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care at the Department of Medicine in Stanford University, Stanford, CA, the study titled, “Impact of vaping on respiratory health,” concluded that vaping “is not without risk”.

One of the factors that led to this conclusion was the literature about the EVALI outbreak, even though it had been confirmed that illicit cartridges containing Vitamin E Acetate was to blame for the outbreak, not vaping itself.

Another recent study published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society reported that EVALI lung injuries, which once again the authors inaccurately attribute to vaping, can lead to long-term respiratory problems, cognitive impairment and mental health issues.

Studies inaccurately link EVALI to vaping
Titled, “Prospectively Assessed Long-Term Outcomes of Patients with E-cigarette or Vaping-associated Lung Injury (EVALI),” the study said that the long-term impacts of e-cigarette or vaping associated lung injury (EVALI) can persist for a year or more. “Even at 12 months after an EVALI diagnosis, the majority of our patients still had serious residual effects,” said lead study author Dr. Denitza Blagev.

The study followed 73 EVALI patients who had an average age of 31 and were either treated at Intermountain Healthcare or University of Utah Health. The participants were followed up after 12-months between July 2020 and August 2021.

The research team found that at the 12-month follow-up appointment, 48% of the patients still had respiratory problems and about one-fourth reported significant shortness of breath. A total of 59% had mental issues, namely anxiety, depression, and 62% had experienced post-traumatic stress. Once again, sadly the authors failed to highlight that the injury was not actually caused by regular lawful e-cigarettes but unregulated products.