A large global review has suggested links between youth vaping and pneumonia, bronchitis, lower total sperm counts, headaches and migraines, while the researchers also discovered a tie between depression and suicidal thoughts among young vapers.
Sky News reports that children who vape are also three times more likely to go on to be smokers, according to the analysis, and vapers were not only more likely to smoke later in life, but also more likely to smoke more frequently and intensely, found the experts from the University of York and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).
The researchers analysed 56 reviews on 384 studies on youth vaping in an umbrella review, with some 21 of these reviews looking at the use of e-cigarettes in young people and later cigarette smoking.
The largest global review on vaping in young people also discovered that there is an increased risk of respiratory illnesses, like asthma or asthma exacerbation, and substance abuse, including drinking and marijuana use.
The study also suggested there are links between youth vaping and pneumonia, bronchitis, lower total sperm counts, dizziness, headaches and migraines.
Consistent evidence
The data available “consistently indicated a significant association between e-cigarette use and later cigarette smoking in young people”, the researchers wrote in the journal Tobacco Control.
The authors said it was difficult to “infer causality” from their review, but that the “repeated strong associations in prospective cohort studies are consistent with a causal relationship”".
“The consistency in the evidence is striking,” said Dr Su Golder, Associate Professor in Health Science at the University of York.
“Across multiple studies, young people who use e-cigarettes are more likely to smoke in the future. These findings support stronger public health measures to protect teens from the risks associated with vaping.”
Dr Greg Hartwell, clinical Assistant Professor at LSHTM, said the review showed exactly why further restrictions on the tobacco industry are so important.
Study details
Vaping and harm in young people: umbrella review
Su Golder, Greg Hartwell, Lily Barnett et al.
Published in Tobacco Control
Abstract
Objective
To appraise and synthesise the evidence on short and longer term harms of vaping in young people.
Data sources
KSR Evidence (systematic reviews); Medline, Embase, and PsycInfo (umbrella reviews); and reference screening.
Study selection
Systematic and umbrella reviews evaluating any potential harms from e-cigarettes in young people.
Data synthesis
Searches identified 56 reviews for inclusion from 384 unique articles. A consistent significant association between vaping and smoking initiation was found, supporting a causal relationship, with pooled ORs of 1.50–26.01 (21 systematic reviews), most of which suggested that young people using e-cigarettes are about three times more likely than those not using them to initiate smoking. Five systematic reviews demonstrated a substantial association between e-cigarettes and substance use, with pooled ORs of 2.72–6.04 for marijuana, 4.50–6.67 for alcohol and 4.51–6.73 for binge drinking. Asthma was the most common respiratory outcome, with consistent associations (ORs: 1.20–1.36 for diagnosis and 1.44 for exacerbation). Three systematic reviews found associations between vaping and suicidal outcomes, and six included investigation of injuries, predominantly documenting explosion incidents. Significant associations between vaping and other harmful outcomes included pneumonia, bronchitis, lower total sperm counts, dizziness, headaches, migraines and oral health harms, but this evidence was largely derived from limited surveys or case series/reports.
Conclusions
This study found that there were consistent associations between vaping and subsequent smoking, marijuana use, alcohol use, asthma, cough, injuries and mental health outcomes. The findings support the implementation of policy measures to restrict sales and marketing of e-cigarettes to young people.
Sky News article – Landmark study links children vaping to host of health issues (Open access)
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