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 "We essentially found that using e-cigarettes is not equivalent to
inhaling water vapor; in fact, it can exert acute, detrimental
effects on (blood vessels) even when the liquid does not contain
nicotine," Dr. Alessandra Caporale of the University of Pennsylvania
Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, the study's first
author, told Reuters Health in an email.
Evidence is mounting that vaping, sometimes touted as a safer
alternative to smoking, is not risk-free, Dr. Caporale and her
colleagues note in Radiology. In a previous study, they found that
vaping nicotine-free e-cigarettes increased signs of inflammation
and a form of tissue damage known as oxidative stress, which
returned to normal levels in one to three hours.
Big U.S. tobacco companies are all developing e-cigarettes. The
battery-powered devices feature a glowing tip and a heating element
that turns liquid nicotine and flavorings into a cloud of vapor that
users inhale.
In the new study, the authors used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
to take several measurements of blood vessel function in 31 healthy
adults who had never smoked, before and after they took 16
three-second puffs of an e-cigarette containing propylene glycol,
glycerol and flavoring but no nicotine.
After vaping, study participants showed several changes indicating
that "vascular reactivity," which is the ability of healthy blood
vessels to widen when necessary, was "considerably and significantly
impaired," Dr. Caporale noted.
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These changes were temporary, but if repeated over a long period of
time could cause inflammation and deterioration of blood vessel
health, the researcher added. "We are far from suggesting that a
single episode of vaping translates immediately into
atherosclerosis."
With funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute,
which also supported the current research, Dr. Caporale and her team
are planning a study that will look at inflammation, oxidative
stress and circulatory changes in e-cigarette users, cigarette
smokers and non-smokers over time.
Dr. Irfan Rahman, a professor at the University of Rochester Medical
Center who researches the effect of e-cigarettes on health, reviewed
the study for Reuters Health. "The study is interesting and has some
insights into long-term consequences of electronic cigarette vapors
in cardioneurovascular disorders," he told Reuters Health in a
telephone interview.
But the findings don't confirm an association and shouldn't be
interpreted to mean that e-cigarette users will develop these health
problems, he added.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/31TLgXT Radiology, online August 20, 2019.
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