Many people consider electronic cigarettes a healthy alternative to traditional paper smoking, even though several studies have pointed the ill effects of electronic vaping. Adding heat to these claims, a Pennsylvania teenager developed a respiratory disorder and was needed to be placed on a breathing machine after he used e-cigarettes for three weeks.
In a report published in the journal Pediatrics, physicians detailed how the 18-year-old Pennsylvania girl developed unusual health issues. She was later admitted to the University of Pittsburg Medical Centre.
The young woman who was working as a restaurant hostess had a history of mild asthma before she started using e-cigarettes. She initially consulted a physician complaining of coughing, wheezing and chest pain. Doctors prescribed her antibiotics, but her condition worsened and later experts realized that she had developed a type of lung inflammation called hypersensitivity pneumonitis.
Dr Casey Sommerfeld, the girl's doctor and lead author of this study, has revealed that this condition occurs when fluid accumulation happens in the lungs due to leaky blood vessels.
Several experts believe that it might be the chemicals present in the e-cigarettes which had triggered lung infection in the girl. They have questioned the presence of glycerin or propylene glycol in e-cigarettes for years and many doctors believe that these elements might have played a role here. The study author also revealed that this is the first reported case of its kind resulted from e-cigarette use among adolescent people.
"The long-term effects of vaping are still unknown due to the relative newness of the product. There are a few case reports involving adults that developed respiratory distress following electronic cigarette use, and I suspect we will see more if the use of electronic cigarettes continues to be popular," told Sommerfeld to ABC News.
Experts have always made it clear that there is nothing like 'safe smoking'; no matter you are smoking a paper cigarette or e-cigarette. They even argue that e-cigarettes can be the gateway to smoking traditional cigarettes.
