Young vapers are at greater risk of suffering from asthma, study suggests

VAPERS are more likely to suffer from asthma, according to a new study.

While vaping is thought to be a safer alternative to smoking, researchers found that teenagers and young adults who use electronic cigarettes are at far greater risk of developing asthma and having asthma attacks than non-vapers.

The Canadian research team set out to determine whether youngsters who are current e-cigarette users were more likely to have suffered an asthma attack within the last 12 months.

A study of more than 17,000 people aged 12 or over found that three per cent reported using e-cigarettes within the previous 30 days.

Around half of them also reported smoking cigarettes daily.

One in eight vapers (13 per cent) had asthma and those with asthma had nearly 24% increased odds of having an asthma attack within 12 months.

After making statistical adjustments for other variables, the findings showed that e-cigarette users were 19% more likely to have asthma.

Current smokers were 20% more likely to have asthma, while former smokers had 33% higher odds.

Those who never smoked or used e-cigarettes had no significant associations with asthma.

Study leader Professor Teresa To, of The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, said: “Our findings suggest that e-cigarette use is a modifiable risk factor for asthma to be considered in the primary care of youth and young adults.

“To curtail the adverse health effects of vaping we should raise the awareness of the potential harmful health effects of vaping, and develop and implement evidence-based strategies to prevent and reduce e-cigarette use, especially in youth.”

She added: “Interestingly, our study found a significantly higher proportion of those who used e-cigarettes reported fair to poor mental health, 15%, compared to seven per cent of those who did not vape.”