“E-CIGARETTE USE MAY BE
EXPLOITED AS A LESS HARMFUL
STRATEGY TO POTENTIALLY
HALT OR REVERSE COPD
RELATED OUTCOMES.”
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) sufferers who smoke
could turn their health around by making the switch to e-cigarettes.
That’s according to a recent study conducted by renowned expert in
tobacco harm reduction, Professor Riccardo Polosa.
This comparative study monitored a sample of COPD patients
who smoked alongside patients who chose to switch to e-cigarettes,
which produced impressive results.
Over the course of three years, participants completed a series
of tests and the results were collected in order to display the
gradual effects of vaping on chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease.
As the only evidence-based strategy proven to improve
COPD prognosis is stopping conventional tobacco use,
it is thought that, “the use of combustion-free nicotine
delivery systems instead of smoking could be a pragmatic
compromise with the possibility of significant health gains.”
In 2009, it was discovered in the US that COPD is
caused by smoking tobacco around 90 percent of
the time.
There is also existing evidence that indicates
most tobacco related diseases are caused by the
combustion chemicals that are in tobacco, as
opposed to the nicotine content.
This latest research took this further, to illustrate
that COPD patients can still receive their desired
nicotine intake by using e-cigarettes whilst
significantly reducing or halting the damage and
symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease.
Participants were committed to altering their
lifestyle. Almost 60 percent of those in the
e-cigarette group completely abstained from
daily smoking, and those who became dual
users managed to reduce their daily cigarette
intake by 85 percent on average by the third
year.
With an average of 21.9 cigarettes smoked
daily by the COPD e-cigarette group at baseline,
after one year the entire group had cut this
down to an average of two cigarettes per day.
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