Vapes heart failure: what is vaping, side effects, what it contains, Is it addictive, Can it cause heart failure, Research on vaping, Recent News And Everything To Know
Vaping, once hailed as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes, is now under scrutiny due to emerging health concerns. Recent studies shed light on the potential risks, particularly when it comes to heart health. Let’s explore the connection between vaping and heart failure:
What is Vaping?
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- Vaping, also known as e-cigarette use, involves inhaling aerosol produced by electronic nicotine delivery devices (e-cigarettes or vapes). These devices heat a liquid (often containing nicotine) into vapor, which users then inhale.
- Vaping gained popularity as an alternative to traditional tobacco smoking.
Side Effects of Vaping:
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- Increased Blood Pressure and Heart Rate: Within 30 minutes of vaping, adrenaline levels spike, leading to higher blood pressure and heart rate.
- Artery Stiffness: Prolonged e-cigarette use can cause stiffness in the arteries, contributing to heart attack and stroke.
- Changes in Artery Walls: Vaping can alter artery walls, making them stiffer and less elastic, which is a risk factor for blood clots and fatty build-up inside artery walls.
Addictiveness of Vaping:
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- Nicotine, present in most vape liquids, is highly addictive. While it doesn’t cause acute cardiac events or coronary heart disease in healthy individuals, it raises heart rate. Also contradicting treatment goals for heart conditions.
Can it cause heart failure: The Study Findings
- A new study published by the American College of Cardiology reveals alarming insights.
- Participants who used e-cigarettes (vapes) containing nicotine faced a 19% higher chance of developing heart failure compared to those who never used vapes.
- The increased risk was more pronounced in a specific type of heart failure called heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). In HFpEF, the heart muscle becomes stiff and fails to fill properly with blood between beats.
Study Details
- The researchers tracked 175,667 participants over an average period of 45 months. Using health records from the National Institutes of Health.
- Of these participants, 3,242 developed heart failure during the study.
- Importantly, the study found no evidence that other factors (such as age, sex, or smoking history) impacted the results.
Expert Insights
- Yakubu Bene-Alhasan, the study’s lead author and a resident physician at MedStar Health in Baltimore, emphasizes the need for caution: “More and more studies are linking e-cigarettes to harmful effects, and finding that it might not be as safe as previously thought. We don’t want to wait too long to find out eventually that it might be harmful. And by that time, a lot of harm might already have been done” .
The Growing Concern
- Because vapes are relatively new, their long-term effects on the heart remain insufficiently studied.
- A 2019 study found no direct connection between vaping and heart disease. But it did highlight the risk associated with smoking traditional cigarettes.
- Another study in 2022 revealed that long-term vape use impairs blood vessel function, potentially increasing the risk of heart disease.
The Urgency
- In 2020, 6.7 million Americans over the age of 20 had heart failure. A number projected to rise to 8.5 million by 2030.
- As vaping gains popularity, understanding its impact on heart health becomes critical.
