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Electronic substitutes were to be a healthier alternative to cigarettes. Unfortunately, the latest research shows that they are not safer at all. They trigger a lung-damaging reaction by the immune system, and in some respects they can be harmful, just like tobacco smoke. Why else should e-cigarettes be better not treated as a harmless gadget?
Scientists from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill conducted a study on a group of several dozen e-cigarette users, smokers and non-smokers to check the effect of a relatively new invention on the body. ‘There is a lot of confusion about whether e-cigarettes are safer than cigarettes because their potential harmful effects are still being investigated,’ says Prof. Mehmet Kesimer, author of a paper published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
New research shows that e-cigarettes can be more dangerous than previously thought. It proves that a popular gadget triggers unique, dangerous reactions of the immune system.
They are related to the activation of neutrophils – cells important for fighting pathogens, which, however, out of control, are involved in the development of diseases related to inflammation of the lungs, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or cystic fibrosis, which is congenital. Disturbing changes may also appear in other organs. The researchers explain that the same reactions contribute to the death of cells in the epithelium lining blood vessels and various organs.
In addition to these disorders, e-cigarettes also pose some of the hazards of tobacco smoke, according to a new study.
Researchers mention here, firstly, oxidative stress, as well as activation of the mechanisms of non-specific immunity observed in patients with COPD. Second, scientists detected increased mucus secretion, which is seen in conditions such as bronchitis, bronchiectasis and asthma. – Comparing the harmfulness of e-cigarettes and cigarettes is similar to comparing apples with oranges – says prof. Kesimer. “Our data shows that e-cigarettes have a harmful effect that is both similar and unique, challenging the theory that switching to e-cigarettes is a healthier solution,” says the author of the study.