E-cigarette use is associated with a higher risk of fracture in adults, according to a new US scientific study, which for the first time shows that vaporization can be harmful to bone health.
Smoking traditional cigarettes was known to be a risk factor for osteoporosis and fractures due to more fragile bones, but a new study shows that e-cigarettes may also increase the risk, even in young adults.
Researchers from the Department of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and the UPMC Pinnacle Medical Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, published in the American Journal of Medicine Open analyzed data from more than 5,500 men and women. 4,519 (81.2%) had never used an e-cigarette, 1,050 (18.8%) were only vaporizers, while 444 (8%) of the total had suffered a fracture (hip, wrist, spine, etc.) after from a fall or other injury.
There was a higher incidence of fractures among e-cigarette users than non-cigarette users. Also, dual users of both conventional and e-cigarettes were more likely to fracture than single smokers.
E-cigarettes, since they appeared about a decade ago, have become quite popular, especially among young people aged 18 to 25, as they are being touted as a healthier alternative to smoking. But as the new study shows, e-cigarettes are not without risks. Their relationship to fractures has not been studied so far, but it seems that, like traditional cigarettes, they increase the risk of osteoporosis.
Other research in the past has linked e-cigarettes to an increased risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), coronary heart disease, depression and more.
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