A report at the February 2019 American Stroke Association meeting identified additional risks from vaping. Using federal research data from the Center for Disease Control’s 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Systems (BRFSS), researchers compared the rate of serious medical events of vapers vs non-smokers.
Vaping was associated with multiple serious health conditions, including a large increased risk of stroke. Compared to non-smokers vapers experienced a 71% increased risk of stroke.
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A study in the October 2018 edition of Stroke notes nicotine can play a role in intracranial aneurysm ruptures.
Cigarette smokers are frequently seen in data populations to suffer from higher rates of aneurysmal rupture, however the mechanism for how smoking cigarettes increases risk is not well established.
Researchers used mice to show that introduction of nicotine to the brain interacted with smooth muscle cells at the aneurysm site, and the results was increased rupture. Brain aneurysm rupture frequently causes death.
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An article in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine studied the relative risk of various groups, one of which was vapers. The study used NHIS data and compared vapers against non-smokers.
The data showed heart attacks occurred 79% more often among vape users vs non-smokers who did not use cigarettes or vapes. Heart attacks are one of the leading causes of death in the United States.
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In addition to nicotine health risks, the risk from inhalation of the main chemicals used to create vapor, and the chemicals used for flavorings, vapers also face a risk from vape mod devices that explode. The batteries, typically 18650 vape batteries, catch fire and explode inside or outside of the device.
Vape battery explosions can cause serious injury or death. Two men have died from shrapnel exploding from the vape mod device, and Levin Simes represents many who have suffered terrible injuries to large portions of their body from vape fire. Third degree buirns requiring skin grafts, permanent nerve damage, scarring, broken teeth, and more can occur when a vape battery explodes. The manufacturers of these products fail to provide the level of safety normally seen in battery powered products, and customers are becoming victims.
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