People Inhaling E-Cig Vapour Are More Likely To Contract Pneumonia

Arguments about whether e-cigs are healthier than normal cigarettes are going back and forth like crazy lately, with no firm conclusion to be found either way.

Now you can chalk off another point for the 'vaping is bad' camp, as new research has suggested that people who use e-cigarettes are more likely to contract pneumonia.

The study, conducted by Queen Mary University of London and published in the European Respiratory Journal, found that e-cig vapour has the potential to increase the risk of pneumococcal infection, which can result in pneumonia.

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The scientists experimented on cells, mice and humans, finding that the vapour from e-cigs helps pnuemonia-causing bacteria to stick to the cells which line the airways - in the same way cig smoke, pollution and welding fumes do.

Lead researcher, Jonathan Grigg, a professor of paediatric respiratory and environmental medicine at QMUL, said: "We know that exposure to traditional cigarette smoke helps these bacteria stick to airway lining cells, increasing the risk of infection.

"We wanted to see whether or not e-cigarettes might have the same effect."

The researchers looked at how e-cigarette vapour affects a molecule produced by the cells that line the airways called platelet-activating factor receptor (PAFR). This molecule is used by bacteria to help to stick to cells.

The boffins found that cells exposed to e-cig vapour produced up to three times higher levels of PAFR, regardless of whether the vapour had nicotine or not.

Once they exposed the cells to the pneumococcal bacteria, they found that the amount of bacteria which stuck to the airways doubled - increasing the risk of infection.

WATCH THE SHEEP ADDICTED TO CIGARETTES:

"Together, these results suggest that vaping makes the airways more vulnerable to bacteria sticking to airway lining cells," Professor Grigg said.

"If this occurs when a vaper gets exposed to the pneumococcal bacterium, this could increase the risk of infection."

Commenting on the study, Peter Openshaw, an experimental medicine professor at Imperial College London, agreed that the results suggest that vaping might make cells more susceptible to bacterial colonisation.

However, the professor added that any evidence from the study that vaping increases the risk of lung infection is only 'indirect'. Still, it's a bit worrying.

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News of QMUL's study comes just days after Public Health England (PHE) called for e-cigs to be sold in hospitals and made available on prescription to smokers to help them quit regular cigarettes.

The British health published research which suggested that electronic tabs are 95 percent less harmful than regular cigs - posing 'a fraction of the risk'.

John Newton, PHE health improvement director, said: "It would be tragic if thousands of smokers who could quit with the help of an e-cigarette are being put off due to false fears about their safety."

The QMUL lot don't seem convinced by that though, as Prof. Grigg advised smokers to use quit-smoking aids which are proven to be safer, such as nicotine patches or gum.

As e-cigs are so new, the long-term effect they'll have on you isn't clear yet. So if you're looking not to wreck your body in the long run, the safest bet is probably just... well, not to smoke altogether.

Topics: Science, UK News, News, Smoking

Chris Ogden

Chris Ogden is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from the University of East Anglia with degrees in English Literature and Creative Writing before completing his NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism. Chris has previously written for the independent culture magazine The Skinny, among other publications.

@TheThumbCompass