Over the past couple of months, MedCram has been reporting on newsworthy articles regarding the vaping-related lung injury outbreak. Just this week, the medical community received more breaking news on the topic with the release of the first long-term e-cigarette usage study.
If you need a refresher on the vaping associated lung injury information we’ve gathered so far, check out the following MedCram videos to get up to speed, or view the full course on our website.
- Vaping / E-Cigarette Lung Failure, Illness, Disease Outbreak
- Vaping / E-Cigarette Lung Illness Diagnosis & Treatment
- Vaping Associated Lung Injury / Illness Outbreak – Update 1
- Vaping / E-Cigarette Associated Lung Injury: CDC Update & Vitamin E Acetate
Longitudinal Study on E-Cigarette Use and Lung Disease
The latest study – released on December 16, 2019 by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine – is a longitudinal analysis of e-cigarette use and lung disease, controlling for regular, combustible tobacco use. Beginning in 2013, researchers started building a dataset of over 32,000 adults – all of whom had no initial signs of lung disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or asthma.
E-Cigarettes as an Independent Risk Factor
Within one of the waves studied, the researchers controlled for combustible tobacco use, as well as other demographic and clinical variables, and found that e-cigarette use yielded significant associations with the development of chronic lung disease. Notably, onset of chronic illness often developed in just three years from the study’s start. These results conflict with the common public perception of vaping a relatively “safe alternative” to conventional smoking.
Dual E-Cigarette and Combustible Tobacco Use
An interesting by-product of this research also found that people who use e-cigarettes are likely to continue using combustible tobacco products in conjunction with vaping. Referred to by researchers as “dual-users,” these individuals were the most likely to develop chronic lung illnesses (over three times more likely than non-smokers who never used e-cigarettes).
More MedCram Updates on the Vaping Illness Outbreak
It’s important to note that while the longitudinal nature of this study gives valuable information on the dangers of e-cigarettes and vaping, its association with lung disease does not equal causation. Follow along with Dr. Seheult and MedCram for more updates on this subject as future research is revealed!
Based on information provided by American Journal of Preventive Medicine and NBC News.