E-cigarettes and Covid-19. Will e-cigarette users be more affected by COVID-19 than others? At present, there is no evidence to suggest so. However, the health effects of long-term smoking have an impact on the risks - even for those who quit smoking with the help of vejpning.
In these times when COVID-19 As the virus spreads across the world, lung health is a focus of concern. COVID-19 can lodge deep in the lungs, affecting oxygen uptake and causing breathing difficulties. This means that people who already have lung problems may be particularly affected by the virus. The risk of complications is also increased for people with cardiovascular disease. And since smoking is a known cause of both cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, former smokers are also a group at higher risk of coronavirus and COVID-19 disease.
"What we can see is that fewer smokers than expected are affected, but that they are more severely affected than non-smokers. But it is difficult to draw any conclusions yet, we have too little reliable data", says Konstantinos Farsalinos, doctor and e-cigarette researcher at the University of Patras, Greece, in his blog E-cigarette Research
The smoke is the cause - not the steam
But what about those who quit smoking and vejpar instead? Does e-cigarettes increase the risk of coronavirus complications? Konstantinos Farsalinos says it depends on how you look at it. E-cigarettes themselves are not a risk factor, he says.
"But we know that most people who vejp today are former smokers, or are still smoking alongside vejp. This is therefore a group that is likely to have health problems after a long period of smoking. In many cases, they carry smoking-related damage with them, even long after quitting. This means an increased risk, but not because of e-cigarettes. There is absolutely no evidence for that" says Konstantinos Farsalinos.
E-cigarettes do not increase the risk of coronavirus
He is joined by Linda Bauld, Professor of Public Health at the University of Edinburgh. Linda Bauld is one of the authors of the UK Department of Health report "Vaping in England" which was last updated last week. The report confirms that e-cigarettes are 95 percent less harmful compared to cigarettes. It also actively encourages smokers to use e-cigarettes to quit smoking.
"There is currently no evidence whatsoever that e-cigarettes would increase the risk associated with a coronavirus infection. It would be irresponsible to claim such a thing" said Linda Bauld to the media channel Regulator Watch in the context of the recent call by the Mayor of New York vejpare for a risk group for the COVID-19 disease.
E-cigarettes, COVID-19 and smoking cessation
Clinical studies, conducted in the UK on behalf of the British Cancer Society, also show that smokers who switched to e-cigarettes improved the condition of their blood vessels within a month of quitting. And according to Konstantinos Farsalinos vejpers have a better chance of surviving Covid-19 than, for example, active smokers.
"Smokers should quit smoking. If nothing else works for them, vejpning is a wise option. But they should quit cigarettes completely and not use e-cigarettes and analog cigarettes in parallel. And those who don't smoke today shouldn't start vejpa either" says Konstantinos Farsalinos.
Note: In 2020, several studies have suggested that smokers, or rather nicotine users, are underrepresented among people who fall ill with Covid-19. You can read more about this in the related links.
