Alaa Mansour
Electronic cigarettes with the beginnings of their spread in 2010 made great promises, as it was offered as a healthy alternative to cigarettes, and a way to quit smoking.
Electronic cigarettes tempt smokers as a way that facilitates the transition from traditional cigarettes to quit smoking, but is e -cigarette smoking better than using tobacco products? Do electronic cigarettes cause addiction?
The researchers have begun at the present time to realize the dangers of electronic cigarettes, according to the American New York Times. For example, a group of scientists analyzed spray from electronic cigarettes commonly used, and found very high levels of heavy metals, and other studies indicated that smoking using electronic cigarettes can affect the heart, lungs and brain.
Experts in the United States expressed their concern that studying the extent of influence and damage caused by smoking using electronic cigarettes may get more difficult in light of the Trump government closing a unit concerned with smoking and health, and the government also reduced the funding for programs that help people and urge them to quit smoking electronic cigarettes.
On the other hand, data related to the long -term health effects resulting from the use of electronic cigarettes is limited, because they are relatively modern and constantly develop, but most of its users are teenagers or at the age of 20, and it may take some time before other effects appear.
Its effect on the heart and blood vessels
“The proper logic – as your mother tells you – tells you that inhaling a highly hot chemical directly to your lungs will not be useful,” says Dr. James Stein, a cardiovascular specialist at the University of Wisconsin University in the United States.
Research refers more and more to the fact that there are damages that cannot be ignored by electronic cigarettes, although they do not contain the dangerous chemicals found in traditional cigarettes.
A whiff of the electronic cigarette causes immediate pressure on the cardiovascular system, as the heart rate increases and the blood vessels contract, which leads over time to the occurrence of stiffness in the arteries. Dr. Stein commented that the use of electronic cigarettes over and over the day, causes a high blood pressure, which can increase the risk of irregular heartbeat and strokes and may even cause a heart attack.
“When fluids in electronic cigarettes are heated to high temperatures, they release larger quantities of harmful chemicals that may leak into the lungs, enter the bloodstream, and flow into the heart,” said Dr. Irfan Rahman, a researcher at the Rochester University of Medicine in the United States and specialized in studying nicotine products.
Liquid materials in electronic cigarettes can release when heated known carcinogenic chemicals, such as formaldehyde and Ettaldehyde, and these and other substances can harm blood vessels, and cause infections.
Dr. Stein added that smokers’ departure from electronic cigarettes may also be accompanied by the suffering of nicotine withdrawal, which may increase the heart rate and blood pressure.
The impact of electronic cigarettes on the mouth and lung
Dr. Stein explained that electronic smoking causes inflammation in the air and lungs, and may become chronic inflammation. Asthma and symptoms of chronic pulmonary obstruction can also exacerbate, and lead to constant and short -breathless cough.
While electronic cigarettes are connected and caused by cancer are still unknown, and it may take decades, we know that it may expose users to materials associated with increased risk of cancer.
Brett Pauline, assistant professor of ecosystems at the University of California in the United States, has tested 3 common brands for e -cigarettes with a single use, and found that they launch high levels of heavy elements such as nickel and antimony, which are linked to lung cancer.
Dr. Paulin’s team also found that electronic cigarettes shoot large quantities of bullets, which is nervous toxicity.
Dr. Stein added that the chemicals used in flavored electronic cigarettes, especially those used for one time, can also harm the cell membranes, which increases the risk of damage to the lungs and cancer, in addition to other heart diseases.
In rare cases, patients have anchor in the lung and breathing problems known as “popcorn lung” after inhalation of dual acetyl, a compound found in some flavored electronic cigarettes.
As with traditional cigarettes and nicotine products, the use of electronic cigarettes reduces blood flow to the gums, making them more vulnerable to disease and infections, and nicotine can harm the gum tissues.
Do you cause addiction?
Dr. Pamela Ling, director of the California Tobacco Research and Education Center in San Francisco in the United States, worked with teenagers sleeping and electronic cigarettes under their pillows and began using them as soon as they wake up.
Research has shown that electronic cigarettes cause addiction, and addiction can be a special problem for adolescents whose brains are still in the process of growth.
There are some support programs to quit smoking, which provide medications that help quit smoking, but this process can also be exhausting, as withdrawal is accompanied by symptoms such as depression, anxiety and discomfort.
These concerns are exacerbated by the increasing spread of addiction electronic cigarettes, which contain higher levels of nicotine, in the market, as it is now easy to find electronic cigarettes containing 20 thousand puffs of nicotine, which is equivalent to 100 cans of cigarettes.