Vaping linked to COVID infection, headaches, say studies
Two new studies this week highlight health concerns linked to vaping, including COVID-19 infection. Catch up here, and find out how different vaping ingredients can affect patient outcomes.
Two new studies link COVID infection and frequent headaches to vaping.
Health professionals have long warned patients of the dangers of vaping, but new studies out this week cite newly confirmed repercussions that may help to dissuade would-be users.
A recent study conducted by the University of California, Riverside reveals that individuals who vape are more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection.1The research, published in the American Journal of Physiology, shows that users who vape aerosols produced from chemicals with a neutral to basic pH are more likely to be infected than those vaping aerosols made with benzoic acid. Professor Prue Talbot advises caution among e-cigarette users and suggests quitting vaping altogether, while researchers advocate for regulatory measures by the FDA based on their findings. While the study focuses on the initial stage of infection, later stages could also be influenced by e-cigarette aerosol inhalation.
In a study focused on children and teens published in a recent web issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, researchers identified a link between vaping and frequent headaches.2 Irregular meals and mood disorders were also contributing factors, but statistics showed e-cigarette usage to have the strongest correlation to headaches occuring more than once a week.
References
Phandthong R, Wong M, Song A, Martinez T, Talbot P. Does vaping increase the likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 infection? Paradoxically yes and no. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2024;326(2):L175-L189. doi:10.1152/ajplung.00300.2022
Nilles C, Williams JV, Patten SB, Pringsheim TM, Orr S. Lifestyle factors associated with frequent recurrent headaches in children and adolescents. Neurology. 2024;102(6). doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000209160
Sara Joyce is the managing editor of RDH and Dental Economics magazines and comprehensive oral health-care website, DentistryIQ. She has a BA in linguistics and an undying love for the Oxford comma. Contact Sara at [email protected].
