A new analysis revealed that vaping increases the risk of asthma at a very high rate, amid warnings about the danger of e-cigarettes to lung health.
University of Texas researchers studied the health data of about 40,000 people of all ages over a period of 5 years.
At the beginning of the analysis in 2022, none of the participants had asthma. But by the end of the study, the research team found that about 10 out of every 1,000 adults had developed asthma.
It turns out that people who used e-cigarettes in the 30 days prior to the final analysis experienced a nearly 200% higher risk of developing asthma early in life (before the age of 27 years), compared to those who did not use e-cigarettes.
There was no significant association between e-cigarette use and asthma in teens, according to data from the National Population Long-Term Assessment of Tobacco and Health.
Dr. Adriana Perez, a data scientist and author of the study, said the findings may help them "motivate smokers to quit using e-cigarettes."
Vaping is thought to send thousands of irritants and metal particles through the windpipe, including chromium, manganese, nickel and lead.
Asthma causes the airways to become inflamed, narrowed, and swollen, and to produce additional mucus, making breathing difficult.
Research conducted by Johns Hopkins University of Medicine also concluded that approximately 11% of e-cigarette users reported having asthma, compared to 8% of those who had never used them.
A wide range of US experts warn of irreversible lung damage in their young patients who use e-cigarettes.
The report was published in the journal JAMA Network Open.