VAPES could be driving a rise in silent killers among young people, an surgeon has warned.
Jim Liu, a cardiologist at Ohio State University, said vapes which “stress the heart” could be a factor behind the rise in heart disease among people.
The rise in heart attacks could be down to more young people vaping.
The average age for people to experience a heart attack is between 65 and 72, according to the NHS.
But a 2022 US study revealed the number heart attack deaths among people between 25 and 44 have increased by 30 per cent since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
And another 2018 study, from Johns Hopkins, found the rate of heart attacks for women aged 35 to 54 has increased over the last 20 years.
Writing in Insider, Jim said the rise in cases could be down to more young people vaping.
Smoking is one of the major causes of cardiovascular disease, according to the British Heart Foundation.
But what many people “don’t know” is that “vapes and e-cigarettes can stress your heart just as much as regular cigarettes can,” Jim explained.
Around one in 20 people in the US vape, and teenage e-cigarette consumption has increased by 1,800 per cent over the last year, according to the FDA.
And vaping is also on the rise in the UK.
A 2022 report from the Office of National Statistics suggests 8.3 per cent of Brits now vape, up from 1.7 per cent a decade ago – which equated to about 800,000 people.
Scientists say e-cigs are safer than tobacco but they still do not fully understand the risks, and the the data on vaping’s impact on the heart is limited.
But one 2018 study, suggests vaping everyday could double your risk for a heart attack.
Jim also said the increase in obesity could also be contributing to the surge in heart attacks.
Obesity in the US rose from 3 per cent pre-pandemic to 4.4 per cent between 2020 to 2021, according to federal data, as more people increased their alcohol intake.
And in the UK rates of obesity soared over lockdown, with 40 per cent of adults gaining an average of 3kg, Government data suggested.
Jim said: “Because of the pandemic, people may be a little bit less active, maybe eating worse.”
“So that could possibly translate into worsened blood pressure, increased weight, and long-term healthcare problems, specifically cardiovascular,” he added.
What is a heart attack?
Your heart muscle needs oxygen to survive.
And heart attack occurs when the blood flow that brings oxygen to the heart muscle is severely reduced or cut off completely.
This happens when arteries that supply the heart muscle with blood flow become narrowed from a buildup of fat, cholesterol and other substances that together are called plaque.
When plaque within a heart artery breaks, a blood clot forms around the plaque.
This blood clot can block the blood flow through the artery to the heart muscle, causing a heart attack.
What are the symptoms of a heart attack?
Heart attack symptoms can include:
chest pain – a feeling of pressure, heaviness, tightness or squeezing across your chest
pain in other parts of the body – it can feel as if the pain is spreading from your chest to your arms (usually the left arm, but it can affect both arms), jaw, neck, back and tummy
feeling lightheaded or dizzy
sweating
shortness of breath
feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting)
an overwhelming feeling of anxiety (similar to a panic attack)
coughing or wheezing
Source: NHS