Vaping and the Coronavirus

[Deleted User] · 16-03-2020 11:41am #1

What do people make of the new claims that if you are a vaper and get the coronavirus that it's more likely to develop to a severe case (compared to a non-vaper)?

e.g. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/coronavirus-smoking-vaping-risk-increase-covid-19-symptoms-a9403211.html

There are also claims of making it easier to get the disease in the first place but I'm disregarding that.

corkie · 16-03-2020 4:15pm

Same unfounded crap / theories in the DailyMail last week!

Doctors say vaping could make you more susceptible to getting coronavirus after 'healthy' 22-year-old who used e-cigarettes tested positive

Just more Big Tobacco anti-vaping American propaganda!?

2015: - Scientist Discovers that Inhaled Propylene Glycol Kills the Flu Virus (pre covid19, so don't know if it helps with that?)

Edit:- Better sourced information: -

Smoking, vaping and the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic: rumors vs. evidence

Let’s talk about e-cigarettes now. And that is all I can say (i.e. nothing), we have zero evidence on how e-cigarette use affects coronavirus infectivity and disease progression. There is a lot of evidence that propylene glycol (one of the main ingredients in e-cigarette liquids) has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties in aerosol form.

Edit 2: -

There is “currently no evidence” that the coronavirus can be transmitted by inhaling someone else’s vape cloud, according to experts at Public Health England.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/vaping-coronavirus-ecigarette-cloud-expert-advice-a4386996.html

[Deleted User] · 16-03-2020 4:44pm

Well apparently the transmission is respiratory so I imagine breathing out thick clouds may make it easier to spread. But maybe the PG/VG/heating affects the virus.
I think for the 95%+ of vapers if they keep doing what they usually do then it'll have little/no effect. Don't make a room steamy, don't hit other people with your clouds, if you're coughing then cut back.

[Deleted User] · 16-03-2020 4:53pm

The big explosion in the virus was in Italy. I was in Italy 3 years ago and it seemed like everyone smoked(regular cigarettes).

I've been vaping for 5 years and can see a noticeable difference between my smoking days and currently with regard to respiratory function. I don't cough. I can walk miles without being out of breath. This is not based on any medical knowledge, but a country with a high level of smokers, I would imagine the virus would affect more.

I don't believe a thing I read online, in mainstream media about vaping, because I always want to know who funded the article. It invariably feels to be big pharma.

My meanderings aside, I am pretty much self isolating for the next few weeks, with the exception of getting in some supplies tonight or tomorrow. I won't be blowing smoke over anyone.

[Deleted User] · 16-03-2020 5:12pm

denartha wrote: »

My meanderings aside, I am pretty much self isolating for the next few weeks, with the exception of getting in some supplies tonight or tomorrow. I won't be blowing smoke over anyone.

the visual aspect of vaping of the vapour has obviously taken on a completely new dimension in the new world that we are currently in.

[Deleted User] · 16-03-2020 5:27pm

conversely information from http://www.ecigarette-research.org/ is probably not unbiased.

vaping does produce inflammation in the lungs. that much is known as a fact.

what affect that may have at this point in the current situation cannot be definitively said.

grindle · 16-03-2020 9:36pm

If you already have the virus and it starts developing to pneumonia then vaping is undoubtedly going to exacerbate the negative efffects of having pneumonia.

corkie · 25-03-2020 6:01pm

[TIME 23/3/20] Is There Actually a Link Between Vaping and Coronavirus?

Having a preexisting condition—especially one related to respiratory health—increases the chances that someone will experience complications from COVID-19, so it’s reasonable to think vaping could play a part. But since scientists can’t say for sure that vaping leads to lung disease or other chronic conditions, it’s also difficult to say whether it opens people up to more risks associated with COVID-19.

......

But “with vaping, we just don’t know,” Siegel says. “We don’t have the evidence.”

Conspiracy Theories: -
China Anti-American Propaganda | COVID-19: Further Evidence that the Virus Originated in the US

live show featuring the above video.

^^^ Take above contents of this post with a grain of salt. ^^^
^^^ .................. Tin Foil Hat time! ............... ^^^

DashVapes | Are vapers at a HIGHER RISK of COVID-19?

Stanton Glantz recently released a blog post stating that vapers and smokers are at a higher risk of serious lung illness from Coronavirus. However, looking at Glantz's track record - this may be just another throw towards vaping...

Will I Am Not · 27-03-2020 4:30pm

I’m nearly 2 weeks stopped now, I’d rather give myself the best possible chance of fighting it off than hoping it makes no difference.
At least my liquids will get their proper steeping times now that I won’t be trying them every few days :pac:

grindle · 27-03-2020 7:44pm

I won't be quitting right now, but at the first sign of a wheeze? You'd be a moron not to.

youcancallmeal · 02-04-2020 7:04pm

Nobody knows right now what affect if any vaping has on coronavirus. Anything that says it does or doesn't is just speculation/anecdotal. We wont really know until the virus is subdued and someone has the time to sit down and to do analysis on the data, even then it'll just be a footnote in all this

macker33 · 15-04-2020 12:59am

glasso wrote: »

What do people make of the new claims that if you are a vaper and get the coronavirus that it's more likely to develop to a severe case (compared to a non-vaper)?

e.g. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/coronavirus-smoking-vaping-risk-increase-covid-19-symptoms-a9403211.html

There are also claims of making it easier to get the disease in the first place but I'm disregarding that.

Baloney, if anything vapours are less likely to get the virus because vg is bad for germs.

grindle · 15-04-2020 8:23am

I swear to god it's like people are reading half the words in some messages.

Maybe VG/PG will turn out to be good for keeping the virus out of lungs (no evidence), but if you have pneumonia and your lungs are 50-80% filled with fluid to the point where you can't breathe and may go into cardiac arrest. Pneumonia isn't fun and it's not something you'll want to smoke or vape through because you are going to feel like you cannot breath already, and now adding something else to your already-crippled breathing capacity.

There seems to be a comprehension issue in this thread where people are getting so defensive of vaping that they think it's impossible for a foreign gas entering your lungs to be a bad choice while you have a disease that in severe cases causes pneumonia and may cause permanent scarring for life afterwards.

Nobody's saying vaping will definitely make you worse, but ye guys are making it sound like it definitely won't.

Do ye think pneumonia is a joke or something? Have ye had it? I watched my brother hallucinate while he had it as a teen, I saw my father go into cardiac arrest, dead for 8mins and an induced coma for two days once they brought him back. We presumed he'd be dead or at best a vegetable, instead the scarring of his lungs caused cancer and we got another few years out of him

"Grindle, if only I could have vaped during the pneumonia" - something ye apparently think they could have said?

Pneumonia is serious and inhibits breathing to the point where you can die, in current situation where if the health system is crippled your lungs may not get the help they need - why do ye think vaping through it is a walk in the park?

JCX BXC · 15-04-2020 8:31am

It appears the most outraged post, was Infact yours!

The point is, I've read some totally BS articles which seem to land vapers into the same category as smokers in regards as to how it will affect them more. This, it can be categorically said, is not correct. You cannot make that assumption with no basis.

Fact is, we don't know, however it's extremely unlikely that it's as harmful and will increase your susceptibility to the virus as smoking does. Anyone who says it does, without proper research, is simply lying.

grindle · 15-04-2020 9:40am

JCX BXC wrote: »

It appears the most outraged post, was Infact yours!

I wouldn't say either of ours are the most outraged.

Somebody else wins >>>that<<<.

JCX BXC wrote: »

The point is, I've read some totally BS articles which seem to land vapers into the same category as smokers in regards as to how it will affect them more. This, it can be categorically said, is not correct. You cannot make that assumption with no basis.

Fact is, we don't know, however it's extremely unlikely that it's as harmful and will increase your susceptibility to the virus as smoking does. Anyone who says it does, without proper research, is simply lying.

I've read lots of that BS too. But do you, or we, really need a study to tell us that vaping if we get to the stage of pneumonia may be an horrifically stupid idea? Vaping when I had a flu a few years back was awful and caused coughing fits, even vaping with a slight cold is unpleasant but dealable-with. There are plenty of posts around the internet where vaping with pneumonia has caused fits of coughing while their lungs are already struggling.

If ill with a not-inconsiderable chance of pneumonia (which may not get treated promptly or at all in current situation), staying vaping whilst waiting for a study is... Smart? Or not smart?

I understand the want/need to defend vaping in nearly all situations - I've spent 8 years on this forum and AH doing same. It was practically a second job at one stage.

Stories that say COVID can be caused by or you'd be made more susceptible to it by vaping: disbelieve until further evidence presented

Stories or studies which posit that if you're infected and symptomatic, your breathing difficulties would be exacerbated by vaping: It'd be insane to think that's not true if you've had a simple flu. Even a cold. It undoubtedly irritates your already irritated lungs. You'll likely recover faster than if you were smoking but not as fast as if you weren't persistently choking on your fave milkshake flavour.

There being a significant chance of developing pneumonia or already having it isn't a time to get rankled and wait for studies to show your breathing will suffer while you try to vape through gurgling lungs, while the health system doesn't need you adding pressure to it, while they may not have the equipment necessary to siphon your lungs and to help you breathe.

corkie · 15-04-2020 5:19pm

This thread seems to have merged two discussions at once.

(1) Having Pneumonia &/ Covid19 and attempting to vape/smoke while sick? Doubt it would be possible or should not be done.

(2) Increasing your chance's of been affected or severity of symptoms
^^^ But “with vaping, we just don’t know,” Siegel says. “We don’t have the evidence.”

If on a chance i should get covid19, my 35+ years of smoking would have more effect on my symptoms than 1 year of vaping.

Acute vs. chronic effects of e-cigarettes on vascular function
^^^ European Heart Journal, Volume 41, Issue 15, 14 April 2020

In conclusion, while more research is certainly needed to identify the long-term effects of switching from smoking to e-cigarette use on the cardiovascular system, the acute effects of delivering a stimulant (nicotine) on vascular function cannot be used as a prognostic marker for cardiovascular risk. Therefore, the findings by Kuntic et al. have questionable clinical value on future disease risk and should be interpreted with caution.

corkie · 22-04-2020 7:27pm

Bloomberg Article (27/03) that sparked this thread & miss-information by media retracted!

FDA Shifts Its Covid-19 Stance on Vaping, Smoking Impact
By Tiffany Kary, April 16, 2020.

No evidence that vaping increases COVID-19 risk, FDA admits

“E-cigarette use can expose the lungs to toxic chemicals, but whether those exposures increase the risk of Covid-19 is not known”

“The imprecise nature of the email communication meant that the report had to be amended to stress that this assessment applied only to those with underlying conditions.

“However, the headline continues to portray vaping as an additional risk factor for COVID-19 health impacts.”

Other news: - Reports of maybe nicotine being a preventative for Covid19

Low incidence of daily active tobacco smoking in patients with symptomatic COVID-19

Conclusions and relevance: Our cross sectional study in both COVID-19 out- and inpatients strongly suggests that daily smokers have a very much lower probability of developing symptomatic or severe SARS-CoV-2 infection as compared to the general population.

French researchers to test nicotine patches on coronavirus patients

"Those leading the study stressed 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, with scientists pointing out it kills half of those who do so regularly - claiming around 75,000 deaths each year in France."

Sky News also reporting on it. (after-study-suggests-smokers-less-likely-to-catch-covid-19)

Vaping and the Coronavirus

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