The risks of vaping, quantified in new US study

VAPING AT any point in life can increase the risk of heart failure by up to 19%, according to a new study published by the American College of Cardiology. Heart failure is a condition where the muscles of the heart either stiffen or become weak and are unable to pump blood properly.

“Nicotine in the vaping solution increases heart rate and blood pressure, stressing your heart with long use. It constricts your blood vessels, makes them less flexible and stiffens them up as in fibrosis,” Dr Nishith Chandra of Fortis Escorts Heart Institute in Delhi said.

While India is one of the few countries to have banned the manufacture, import, and sale of e- cigarettes, the products continue to be available in the grey market. Around 23% of people in India reported using e- cigarettes, with 8% using them daily, according to a survey published last year in the journal Preventive Medicine Reports. The Global Adult Tobacco Survey pegs the number of current e- cigarette users at 0.02% of the population.

Vapes, e- cigarettes

Vapes or e- cigarettes electronically heat a solution of glycerine, flavours, and nicotine, the addictive substance in cigarettes. While people use cigarettes for the nicotine hit, it is the tar from smoking that is harmful. This is the reason e- cigarettes, which don’t contain tar, were pushed as an aid for smoking cessation.

There is, however, not enough data to show that the use of e- cigarettes actually helps to quit smoking; users often end up smoking both cigarettes and vapes. Also, the different flavours in vapes may tempt even non- smokers. US data show that e- cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product among students.

What the study says

The study scanned 1.7 lakh people and followed them for 45 months. Of them, 3,242 suffered heart failure. The results showed that those who used e- cigarettes at any point were 19% more likely to suffer heart failure compared to non- users. Researchers also accounted for a history of smoking and other risk factors.

“The difference we saw was substantial. It’s worth considering the consequences to your health, especially with regard to heart health. More and more studies are linking ecigarettes to harmful effects and finding that it might not be as safe as previously thought,” Yakubu Bene- Alhasan, lead author of the study and the resident physician at Medstar Health in Baltimore, said in a statement.

The researchers found that vaping increased the odds of a particular type of heart failure called heart failure with preserved ejection fraction ( HFPEF) — a condition in which the heart muscles become stiff and the heart does not properly fill between contractions. “The heart doesn’t relax between beats. Daily use damages the lining of blood vessels, restricts the development of new blood vessels and stokes inflammation. This increases the risk of both heart attacks and strokes,” Dr Chandra said.

Other dangers from vapes

The nicotine in e- cigarettes may become a source of addiction instead of an aid in quitting regular cigarettes. Accidental exposure to the liquid could cause acute nicotine poisoning.

With no standardisation of the liquid used, many vapes release chemicals that cause lung disease, and contain cancer- causing compounds and heavy metals.