E-cigarette Vapor Tied to Changes in Lung Cells

New medical research points to possible dangers in e-cigarette use. The vapors produced by e-cigarettes may induce the lungs to produce chemicals that can cause inflammation, and also weaken the immune system’s general defenses against infection.

Researchers designed a series of experiments that brought e-cigarette vapor into contact with macrophage cells. In the lungs, these are cells that help clean bacteria, allergens, and other particulate matter which gets into the lungs. These cells reacted similarly to e-cigarette vapor as they did with regular cigarette smoke. And similarly to how these cells react in patients who have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD.

While the study is not a human trial, the concern is e-cigarette vapor might not be nearly as clean and harmless as many believe it to be. Further, the researchers are concerned that long term vaping, as e-cigarette use is called, might still leave users of vapes open to avoidable health problems. The researchers don’t argue that e-cigarettes are more dangerous, or even as dangerous, as cigarettes; but they do caution that over a lifetime of vaping they cannot rule out medical concerns.

The new study built on earlier trials, which looked only at the liquid e-cigarettes use. This study actually vaporized the liquid, and then cells were compared based on whether or not they’d been exposed to the liquid, the vapor, or neither.

Key Points:

  • 1People that smoke e-cigarettes may have lungs that have more trouble fighting infections.
  • 2Long term vaping may lead to breathing problems, since the vapor impairs macrophages.
  • 3Macrophages are important- they eat up foreign things like bacteria and viruses.


we may need to worry a bit more about the use of e-cigarettes, especially among the young
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Written by HealthStatus Team
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our blood alcohol, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years. Our team of health professionals, and researchers use peer reviewed studies as source elements in our articles. Our high quality content has been featured in a number of leading websites, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Live Strong, GQ, and many more.

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