US doctors are reportedly eyeing vaping as a possible factor in the
alarming number of hospitalizations among young adults diagnosed with
COVID-19.
Medical experts began floating the theory last week after the US Centers for Disease Control reported that up to 20% of people hospitalized with the virus were between ages 20 and 44.
“When someone’s lungs are exposed to flu or other infections the
adverse effects of smoking or vaping are much more serious than among
people who do not smoke or vape,” Stanton Glantz, a professor and
director of the Center for Tobacco Research Control & Education at
University of California San Francisco, wrote in a blog post.
Glantz said vaping can hinder the nasal cavity’s ability to ward off
disease by damaging the microscopic hairs, or cilia, in the upper
airway, he told CNN.
“Some of my [colleagues] have noted people under 30 ending up in
hospitals and a couple were vapors,” Glantz said, noting a link has not
been confirmed.
In China, smokers were 14 times more likely to develop severe cases
of COVID-19 than those who did not smoke, according to a February study
published in the Chinese Medical Journal.
Glantz said it’s not too late for smokers to help their lungs fight the virus.
“At a time when people are looking to reduce risk, it’s very sensible to stop insulting your lungs,” Glantz said.
https://nypost.com/2020/03/21/vaping-may-be-cause-of-coronavirus-cases-in-young-americans-experts-say/
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