Vaping is as dangerous as cigarettes to your lungs, here are 4 impacts

The solution for those who want to get rid of conventional cigarettes is vaping or electric cigarettes. Many say that vaping is harmless compared to conventional cigarettes.

In fact, both are equally dangerous and can impact organs in the body, including the lungs. Because there are already misconceptions, many people often end up ignoring the effects of vaping on the lungs.

Quoted from the Ministry of Health website (Kemenkes RI), a vaporizer is a device for heating a liquid into an aerosol (vapour) to be inhaled into the lungs. Unlike conventional cigarettes that burn tobacco to produce smoke. The liquids in vape products contain various combinations of ingredients, including nicotine, other chemicals, flavors, and are toxic.

“Over the past 24 to 36 months, I’ve seen a spike in the number of patients vaping,” reports Broderick Hopkins lung cancer surgeon Stephen Broderick.

The impact of vaping on the lungs

Here are a handful of effects of vaping on your lungs to look out for.

1. Popcorn Lung

“Popcorn lung,” also known as bronchiolitis obliterans (BO), is a rare condition caused by damage to the small airways in the lungs. BO was originally discovered when popcorn factory workers got sick. The culprit is diacetyl, a food additive used to simulate the taste of butter in microwave popcorn.

Diacetyl is often added to vaping e-liquids to improve the taste. Inhaling diacetyl causes inflammation and permanent scarring in the smallest airways of the lungs, which makes breathing difficult. Popcorn lung has no lasting treatment. Symptoms include:

Cough
Very
Chest pain
Hard to breathe

2. Lipoid pneumonia

Unlike classic pneumonia, which is caused by an infection, lipoid pneumonia develops when fatty acids (the building blocks of fat) enter the lungs. Vaping-related lipoid pneumonia is the result of inhaling an oily substance found in e-liquids, which triggers an inflammatory response in the lungs. Symptoms of lipoid pneumonia include:

Chronic cough
Hard to breathe
Coughing up blood or mucus mixed with blood

“There is no good treatment for lipoid pneumonia, other than supportive care, while the lung heals on its own. The most important thing you can do is identify what caused it,” says Broderick.

3. Primary spontaneous pneumothorax

Primary spontaneous pneumothorax, or collapsed lung, occurs when there is a hole in the lung through which oxygen escapes. This can be the result of an injury, such as a gunshot or knife wound, or when an air bubble at the top of the lung bursts and creates a small tear.

Smoking and vaping are often associated with an increased risk of these blisters or air bubbles bursting, leading to lung collapse.

“We always ask if they smoke and they often say, ‘No, I don’t smoke. But I vape.’ We are now telling patients not to smoke or vape if they want to avoid future lung failure and surgery.”

Signs of a collapsed lung include:

Extreme pain in the chest or shoulder
Hard to breathe
Hard to breathe

Oxygen treatment and rest may be all that is needed for a collapsed lung to heal. But more advanced cases require a chest tube to drain leaked oxygen from the body cavity or surgery to repair a hole in the lung.

4. Lung cancer?

Vaping can increase your risk of cancer. Since vaping contains a number of chemicals that can enter the lungs. Even so, it still requires more research so far.

“We know that smoking tobacco forces tiny particles to lodge deep in the bronchial tree and can lead to the development of cancer. The same can be true of vaping,” Broderick said.

Watch a video “Dangers of Vape Vs Cigarettes“
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