Spanish lung specialist warns vaping could spawn new disease decades later

Dr José Luis Velasco, who leads the respiratory medicine department at the Virgen de la Victoria hospital in Malaga, warned that vaping could give rise to a novel disease specifically associated with e-cigarette use, but that its full impact may only be measurable in 20-30 years. He pointed to a growing body of research, including a recent study by the pulmonology and ophthalmology units of the Clínico hospital published in Tobacco Prevention & Cessation, which found that a single vaping episode caused measurable drops in tear production and changes in airway inflammation markers and retinal blood flow.

Although the study involved only 40 participants and lacked a control group, it demonstrates acute physiological effects that could translate into chronic damage over time. Velasco emphasized that teenagers are beginning to vape as early as 13-14, raising concerns about long-term population health. He also observed that patients with pneumonia or pulmonary oedema often have a history of vaping, and that quitting vaping presents challenges similar to smoking cessation, requiring multidisciplinary treatment. The World Health Organization has already classified e-cigarettes as harmful to lung health.