Linda Girgis, MD, co-hosted another installment of the #PWChat series on Wednesday, September 26. The topic focused on the dangers of vaping and what healthcare professionals and their patients need to know about the increasingly popular trend.
Topics discussed included: the increase in vaping among teenagers, how to respond to patients who say vaping is a safer alternative, and a report concluding there’s no evidence vaping is associated w/ heart disease, lung disease or cancer.
Join us for Part II of this #PWChat
Wednesday, Oct. 10, 9 p.m.
Below are the highlights from the chat. You can read the full transcript here, by scrolling down to the corresponding responses.
Click here for a look at our #PWChat schedule and recaps.
Question 1
Q1: Have you seen an increase in #vaping among teens (your patients or otherwise), and if so, why do you think this is?#PWChat
— Physician’s Weekly (@physicianswkly) September 26, 2018
A1:
Yes!
Vaping now an epidemic among US high schoolers
900% increase in e-cigarette use by high school students from 2011 to 2015, https://t.co/7ufTIzk5MU via @CNN#PWChat @mloxton @PROWDwomen @physicianswkly #WomenInMedicine— Farzana R Hossain MD (@fr_hossain) September 26, 2018
T1. I have definitely seen an increase in #vaping among my teen patients. Many are attracted by the flavoring additives. I also suspect it is the next “cool thing” for them to do. #PWchat https://t.co/vx3tEuaWRj
— Linda Girgis, MD (@DrLindaMD) September 26, 2018
Question 2
Q2: How do you respond to patients who say/believe #vaping is safer for them than conventional cigarette smoking? What recommendations do you have for other HCPs who have these interactions?#PWChat #ecigarettes
— Physician’s Weekly (@physicianswkly) September 26, 2018
T2. I tell them that we still don’t know all the harm ecigs can cause but there is clear evidence that there is some and they are not as safe as many people believe. #PWchat https://t.co/KBVDBLN8JB
— Linda Girgis, MD (@DrLindaMD) September 26, 2018
— John Conner (@ItsJohnConner) September 26, 2018
My aunt almost died in 2014 after she started vaping. She caught double pneumonia. Dr said vaping caused water bubbles to develop on her lungs aka “popcorn lung” very dangerous.
— KLaCastle (@KLaCastle) September 26, 2018
Question 3
Moving on…
Q3: The 1st result of a Google search on August 31 for “dangers of #vaping” was a @usnews report concluding there’s no evidence vaping is associated w/ heart disease, lung disease or cancer. What do you make of this? Are such reports dangerous for patients?#PWChat
— Physician’s Weekly (@physicianswkly) September 26, 2018
T3. There actually is evidence that vaping causes a pro-inflammatory response in respiratory epithelium, which is the precursor of many diseases. Research is on-going on currently looking into it and without knowing the results, it is dangerous to promote them as safe. #PWchat https://t.co/GYNB8Bdcud
— Linda Girgis, MD (@DrLindaMD) September 26, 2018
While absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, we can conclude that there is comparatively much lower risk to patients. We know that smoking begins to show damage within 5-10 years of initiation. What we see in evidence is that vapors show evidence of healing. #PWChat
— Bruce Nye (@ThaumaturgeRN) September 27, 2018
