In recent years, vaping has grown increasingly popular among teenagers and young adults. However, if you or your child has asthma, it could pose serious risks to their lung health. Does vaping cause lung disease, and how does it affect pre-existing lung conditions? Let’s take a closer look.
Can Vaping Cause Asthma or Other Lung Diseases?
First things first: can vaping cause asthma? While vaping does not directly “pass asthma” to you like a virus, it is much the same as traditional smoking in that it weakens your lungs. The weaker your lungs are, the more difficult it is to hold up against lung infections. In other words, regular vaping compromises your respiratory system and poses both short-term and long-term health risks.
Just how does vaping compromise your lung health? While studies are still being conducted on links between vaping and lung disease, they indicate that the chemicals found within vape juice “coat” an individual’s lungs with pollutants and cause inflammation. Much like cigarette smoke wears your lungs down over time, vaping (and e-cigarettes) slowly build inflammation within your airways, increasing your chance of developing a lung condition.
Vapes are versatile, allowing an individual to inhale nicotine, THC oil, marijuana, etc. Over time, it can lead to the following issues.
- Chronic Respiratory Infections
- Shortness of Breath
- Coughing and Wheezing
- Exercise-Induced Asthma
- Lung, Mouth, or Throat Cancer
- Early Death
Negative Effects of Vaping on Lung Health
One thing is for sure. Even if vaping doesn’t directly cause asthma or other lung diseases, it does negatively affect the health of those with chronic lung conditions. Over time, vaping can cause the following results in individuals with chronic lung conditions.
Decrease Lung Capacity
Whether you suffer from asthma, COPD, or cystic fibrosis, your goal should always be to maintain (or improve) your lung capacity, not to decrease it. Unfortunately, vaping can only cause your lung capacity to go south.
Increase Fatigue
Did you know that smoking and vaping directly influence your natural energy level? The harder your body has to work to fight off triggers, flare-ups, and attacks, the more drained you will feel. To empower your body to fight off triggers, it is important to keep your energy up.
Trigger Attacks and Flare-Ups
Depending on the severity of your lung condition, it might only take a small trigger to cause a big attack. Even minor lung irritation from vaping can turn into constant flare-ups.
Other Things to Keep in Mind
Additionally, vaping does the following to those who suffer from chronic lung diseases.
Increases the number of triggers.
Opening your lungs to harmful pollutants like nicotine only increases your list of triggers. Additionally, vaping often takes place in smoking environments, where secondhand smoke can take its toll on asthmatics. Additionally, vaping can cause exercise-induced asthma.
Increase the number of symptoms.
Vaping and smoking can both increase your overall lung fatigue and strain, making asthma symptoms stronger and more constant.
Can lead to additional health concerns.
Vaping weakens your lungs which opens up the possibility of respiratory infections. Viruses and infections attack inflamed airways and cause additional health concerns.
Talk to Your Child About Vaping
As a parent of a child or teen with asthma, it is extremely important that you keep the line of communication open. Be honest with your child about the health risks of vaping, and include their doctor in on the conversation as well. Your child must understand that their lung health is the utmost priority.
