New Cleveland Clinic research shows how e-cigarettes and vaping can damage your airway and also put you at risk for viral infections.
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CLEVELAND – A Cleveland Clinic study is highlighting the dangers of e-cigarettes and vaping.
According to researchers, the popular devices have been shown to damage cells that protect your airway.
“Why is this important? Because if the integrity of the airway barrier is disrupted, everything can get in, viruses can get in, or other pollutions or allergens can get in,” explained Fariba Rezaee, MD, pediatric pulmonologist for Cleveland Clinic Children’s.
Dr. Rezaee said they created a breathing simulator for the study, and then tested different devices and flavors to see how they would impact cells in the airway.
She said they discovered that no matter the device, or flavors introduced, they all caused harm.
However, the combination of flavor and nicotine were said to be the worst.
They also learned that the use of e-cigarettes or vapes can put a person at greater risk for viral infections, like RSV.
“We exposed the cells to the aerosols generated by this machine, and then we did the viral infection, and we saw that the effect was worse,” she noted. “So basically we saw more viral infections and more damage to the airway epithelial cells.”
Dr. Rezaee said more research needs to be done on the long-term effects.
In the meantime, she strongly encourages anyone who uses e-cigarettes or vapes to quit.
