Researchers Stick Their Nose In
American researchers claim that vaping stops the nose being able to clear itself of mucus. Their tests were carried out on cells in a dish and sheep
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by Dave Cross
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In "Electronic Cigarette Vapor with Nicotine Causes Airway Mucociliary Dysfunction Preferentially via TRPA1 Receptors", the research team claim to have discovered that vaping results “in a decreased ability to move mucus or phlegm across the surface” of the nose.
The group discovered this by subjecting human cells to vape dissolved in liquid and putting it into petri dishes – and by blowing vape at sheep.
They write: “The study found that vaping with nicotine impairs ciliary beat frequency, dehydrates airway fluid and makes mucus more viscous or sticky. These changes make it more difficult for the bronchi, the main passageways to the lung, to defend themselves from infection and injury.”
Senior author Matthias Salathe, chair of internal medicine and a professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Centre, said: “This study grew out of our team's research on the influence of tobacco smoke on mucus clearance from the airways. The question was whether vape containing nicotine had negative effects on the ability to clear secretions from the airways similar to tobacco smoke.”
“Vaping with nicotine is not harmless as commonly assumed by those who start vaping, At the very least, it increases the risk of chronic bronchitis," added Dr. Salathe. "Our study, along with others, might even question e-cigarettes as a harm reduction approach for current smokers with respect to chronic bronchitis/COPD."
In 2015, Dr Ricardo Polosa reported how smokers with COPD had “eventually quit tobacco smoking on their own by switching to an EC [electronic cigarette]. Significant improvement in quality of life and reduction in the number of disease exacerbations were noted. EC use was well tolerated with no reported adverse events.” [link]
This followed up a 2014 paper [link], where he said vaping could produce “subsequent improvements in asthma outcomes, this study shows that e-cigs can be a valid option for asthmatic patients who cannot quit smoking by other methods.”
Previously, Dr Konstantinos Farsalinos has said: “There is now evidence from clinical studies and research surveys that smokers with asthma and COPD who switched to regular e-cigarette use benefitted substantially, with improvements in their respiratory symptoms and lung function. Although prospective studies are needed to better define the harm reversal potential of e-cigarettes in patients with already-established lung disease, the available evidence is important because asthma and COPD patients are particularly vulnerable to respiratory irritants and the e-cigarette aerosol does not set off respiratory exacerbations.”
Resources:
- "Electronic Cigarette Vapor with Nicotine Causes Airway Mucociliary Dysfunction Preferentially via TRPA1 Receptors” by Chung, Baumlin, Dennis, Moore, Salathe, Whitney, Sabater, Abraham, Kim and Salathe – [link]
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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