Does vaping increase the danger of Covid-19?

In 2019, greater than 5 million young people within the U.S. used electronic cigarettes, and in January 2020, roughly 2,600 people (adults and youth) were hospitalized with lung injury related to the usage of electronic cigarettes or vaping products (EVALI) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020). Earlier this 12 months, we provided an update on the vaping epidemic within the US, but nobody expected that in just a few months we could be combating an all-encompassing global pandemic. Early data suggested that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), primarily affects older adults and folks with underlying health conditions. But a brand new study from Stanford University School of Medicine has found a compounding factor which will put the younger population at even greater risk: the usage of vaping products. A study by Dr. Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, professor of pediatrics, found that the danger of infection in young individuals who vaped and were tested for Covid-19 was higher in comparison with those that didn’t use electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes). ) (Gaiha et al., 2020).

The study examined whether youth cigarette and e-cigarette use was related to symptoms, testing, and diagnosis of Covid-19. The surveys were conducted online in May 2020 and were accomplished by 4,351 participants aged 13 to 24 from across the United States. Participants were divided into two groups – those that used e-cigarettes and those that had never used nicotine products. These groups included equal numbers of individuals across age ranges (adolescents, young adults, and adults), race, and gender. Respondents were asked in the event that they had ever used a vaping device or flamable cigarette and whether or not they had vaped or smoked up to now 30 days. They were also asked in the event that they had experienced symptoms of Covid-19, had been tested for Covid-19, or had a positive diagnosis for Covid-19. Results were adjusted for aspects including age, gender, LGBTQ status, race/ethnicity, mother’s education level, body mass index, adherence to shelter-in-place orders, prevalence of COVID-19 diagnosis in participants’ area of ​​residence, and state and regional trends in e-cigarette use (Gaiha et al., 2020).

The study found (Gaiha et al., 2020):

• The COVID-19 diagnosis was:
  • Five times more likely amongst e-cigarette-only users
  • Seven times more likely amongst dual users (traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes)
  • 6.8 times more likely amongst users who’ve used two devices within the last 30 days
• Testing took place:
  • Nine times more more likely to be a reproduction user within the last 30 days
  • 2.6 times more more likely to be an e-cigarette-only user up to now 30 days
• Symptoms reminiscent of cough, fever, fatigue and difficulty respiration were 4.7 times more likely amongst individuals who had dual-used drugs up to now 30 days compared with those that had never smoked or vaped.
• The researchers found no correlation between COVID-19 diagnosis and smoking only traditional cigarettes. This could also be because most young people are likely to use each vaping devices and traditional cigarettes; only a few use cigarettes exclusively.
• Lower socioeconomic status and Hispanic or multiracial origin were related to the next risk of COVID-19 diagnosis.

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that smokers could also be more prone to contracting COVID-19 just because the smoking habit involves contact of fingers (and potentially contaminated cigarettes and devices) with the mouth, increasing the potential for virus transmission from hand to mouth (WHO, 2020). Transmission can even occur between individuals who share mouthpieces and other smoking devices, which is common amongst e-cigarette users (Gaiha et al., 2020).

These findings will not be surprising. We know that inhaling substances reminiscent of tobacco smoke and vape mist affects the lungs’ ability to operate and disrupts the immune system, causing chronic airway inflammation (Rizzo, 2020). McAlinden et al. (2020) state that e-cigarettes and other vaping products increase “oxidative stress, inflammation, infection, and airway remodeling in the lungs” in individuals who use these devices. In this fashion, smoking makes it harder for the body to fight off coronaviruses and other respiratory diseases (WHO, 2020). Combined with the incontrovertible fact that SARS-CoV-2 rapidly invades the cells in our lungs and attacks the epithelial cells lining the airways, this might leave an individual highly prone to severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis, and long-term pneumonia. That’s a shame.

Gaiha et al. (2020) recommend the next actions:

• Healthcare employees screen all youth for a history of cigarette and e-cigarette smoking.
• Parents, schools and community organizations are teaching young people concerning the effects of e-cigarettes on the respiratory and immune systems.
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is regulating e-cigarettes throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Develop and disseminate youth-targeted COVID-19 prevention materials that include information on e-cigarettes and dual-use products.

Education and prevention are key to stopping the spread and impact of those two overlapping public health crises.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2020). CDC, States update numbers of hospitalized EVALI cases and deaths from EVALI. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/s0109-evali-cases.html

Gaiha, S. M., Cheng, J., and Halpern-Felsher, B. (2020). Association between adolescent smoking, e-cigarette use, and coronavirus disease 2019. Journal of Adolescent Health. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.07.002

McAlinden, K. D., Eapen, M. S., Lu, W., Chia, C., Haug, G., and Sohal, S. S. (2020). COVID-19 and vaping: risk of increased susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection?. , (1), 2001645. https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.01645-2020

Rizzo, A. (2020). What it’s worthwhile to learn about smoking, vaping and COVID-19. . https://www.lung.org/blog/smoking-i-covid19

Stanford Medicine (2020). Vaping linked to COVID-19 risk in teens and young adults. http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2020/08/vaping-linked-to-covid-19-risk-in-teens-and-young-adults.html

World Health Organization (WHO) (2020). Q&A: Tobacco and COVID-19. https://www.who.int/emergency/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/question-and-answers-hub/qa-detail/qa-on-tobacco-and-covid-19