It’s the first study to look at e-cigarette use and COVID-19, and the results were surprising, even to researchers.
Since the early days of the pandemic, there have been questions about the relationship between vaping and COVID-19. The link made sense: COVID-19 is largely a respiratory disease, transmitted through infected droplets, but the United States still lacked a scientific study on e-cigarette use and the coronavirus – until now.
A new study published Tuesday in the Journal of Adolescent Health established the long-suspected link between e-cigarette use and COVID-19 risk. The Stanford University researchers recruited 4,351 participants, ages 13 to 24, from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and three territories. Participants answered a series of questions in a survey format, including whether they had ever used vaping devices or combustible cigarettes if they had vaped or smoked in the past 30 days, and if they had experienced COVID-19 symptoms, received a test. for COVID-19, or received a positive diagnosis for COVID-19 after testing.
Data collected from the survey showed that COVID-19 infections were associated with the use of e-cigarettes, as well as the use of e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes. Specifically, the researchers found that teens and young who vaped were five times more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 than those who did not. And if someone smoked both traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes, they were seven times more likely to have a positive test result. The study also showed that COVID-19 testing was more likely among those who smoked: Dual users in the past 30 days were nine times more likely to be tested for COVID-19 than non-users, while those who only used e-cigarettes were almost three times more likely.
The study does not discuss the reasons for these results, but the researchers have some hypotheses about their findings.
“First, we know that vaping damages the lungs and the immune system, so it could be that young people using e-cigarettes who are exposed to the virus are further harmed,” said lead author Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, Ph.D., professor. pediatrician and director of research in the division of adolescent medicine at Stanford University, says Health. “It could also be that young people vaping [and/or] smoking increase their exposure to the virus, as young people often share their e-cig devices, or the hand-to-mouth action, whereby you can touch the virus and then hands. Also, the large column of aerosol could carry viruses in the aerosol and then be inhaled deep into the lungs. ”
The new study is important because previous studies on tobacco use and COVID-19 have primarily focused on and traditional cigarette smoking. “They have often used samples from clinics, largely the ones that have already been tested or diagnosed, which means they are biased,” says Halpern-Felsher. “Our study is the first population-based study to use a large sample of youth and young across the country and the first to include e-cigarettes.”
While the study tried to take into account known risk factors for COVID-19, such as obesity, it was unable to correct other known risk factors, such as hypertension, which is more prevalent in older people. “With that said, the increased risk of being diagnosed with COVID-19 in those who had used e-cigarettes or were dual users of e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes should also be transferable to older populations,” Robert Goldberg, MD, a pulmonologist with Mission Hospital at Southern California, says Health.
Since the early stages of the pandemic, various health agencies have also warned of a connection between smoking and vaping, and the risk of COVID-19, with possible serious complications if they contract the disease.
“People with underlying health problems, such as heart or lung problems, may be at increased risk of serious complications from COVID-19,” Michael Felberbaum, spokesman for the Food and Drug Administration, told Bloomberg. “This includes people who smoke and/or vaporize tobacco or nicotine-containing products.” And in April, Nora Volkow, MD, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, published a blog post warning that the coronavirus “could be an especially serious threat to tobacco or marijuana smokers or vapers.”
The risk of COVID-19 is another health damage related to e-cigarettes. In January 2018, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine published a review of more than 800 different studies. It concluded that e-cigarettes contain and emit a number of potentially toxic substances, and found “moderate evidence” that young people who use e-cigarettes are at increased risk of coughing and wheezing, as well as a worsening of symptoms. asthma.
The Halpern-Felsher study has prompted lawmakers to urge the FDA to temporarily withdraw e-cigarettes from the market until the COVID-19 crisis is over. In a letter sent to FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, on August 11, obtained by CNN, they highlight their concerns that vaping could threaten the health and safety of Americans of all ages “given that young people are increasingly driving the spread of COVID-19. “In the letter, the Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy of the House Oversight and Reform Committee asks Hahn to confirm by August 18 whether the FDA will temporarily clean up the market for all e-cigarettes.
Overall, Halpern-Felsher wasn’t surprised by her study’s findings overall, but she didn’t expect to see such a dramatic increase in the risk of being diagnosed with COVID-19. For her, there should be no doubt: “This is a call to everyone to stop vaping.”
“Before the coronavirus pandemic, there was already ample evidence of an increased risk of lung damage in e-cigarette users compared to traditional cigarette users,” adds Dr. Goldberg. “My advice is to stop vaping or never start vaping to minimize this risk.”
Information in this story is accurate as of press time. However, as the situation surrounding COVID-19 continues to evolve, it is possible that some data has changed since its publication. While Health is trying to keep our stories as up-to-date as possible, we also encourage readers to stay informed on news and recommendations for their own communities by using the CDC, WHO, and your local public health department as resources.
