Vaping’s effect on men’s urologic health

Most of us are well aware of the serious health concerns of e-cigarettes also known as “vaping” across the U.S. The outbreak of very harmful and deadly lung injuries among e-cigarette users has gained national attention warning all of us of the potential dangers. Besides the harm to lungs, vaping is also harmful to urologic health.

Brief summary of vaping

Over the years, cigarette smoking has gradually reduced.  With fewer people who are smoking or starting to smoke, there has been the development of other forms of tobacco and electronic delivery systems. In 2017, vaping/e-cigarette use was introduced in the U.S. market and is still a relatively new technology. The battery-operated devices can be found in many forms and may look like conventional cigarettes, pens, or sleek tech gadgets. E-cigarettes work by heating a liquid, called e-liquid or e-juice, turning it into an aerosol or “vapor.” Users of e-cigarettes then inhale and exhale this vapor-like aerosol.

Millennials have taken a strong preference for vaping over using tobacco cigarettes and e-cigarettes are one of the top methods for adults trying to quit smoking traditional cigarettes.  E-cigarettes have also been marketed as a way to still have the stimulating effects of cigarette smoking without the dangerous health risks associated with cigarettes.

There are some studies showing that e-cigarettes may be useful for some people to kick their smoking habit. But e-cigarettes are not entirely risk free, especially for urologic health. There is no such thing as “safe smoking” as more research is still required before we know the full revelation on vaping’s health effect on the human. Besides, according to the American Heart Association, smoking is the leading cause of preventable death responsible for 480,000 Americans who lose their life due to this habit.

Vaping’s potential harm to urologic health

• Bladder cancer

It has been known that individuals who use regular cigarettes are placing themselves at a higher risk for developing bladder cancer. Over 80,000 Americans in 2019 were given a diagnosis of this urological cancer. Smoke from traditional cigarettes contains a deadly mix of 7,000 chemicals with at least 69 of them linked to cancer, making this bad habit no friend to bladder health. At this time, scientists are still learning about the long-term health effects of e-cigarettes. Studies so far do suggest there are links between vaping and an increased risk of bladder cancer.

New York University researchers found that vaping may increase bladder cancer since about 90 percent of inhaled nicotine from e-cigarettes is excreted into the urine. When researchers looked into whether e-cigarette smoke led to DNA harm in the bladder of humans, they found that it did cause harmful DNA changes similar to what is seen in secondhand smoke from traditional cigarettes.

This same study, when conducted on mice, found mice given nicotine from e-cigarettes also experienced changes harming their DNA, again similar to the effects of being exposed to secondhand smoke from traditional cigarettes.

• Kidney cancer

Smoking is one of the leading risk factors for kidney cancer, primarily due to the nicotine content.  Possible ways smoking may harm kidney health is that it increases blood pressure, reduces blood flow to the kidneys, increases production of angiotensin II, narrows blood vessels in the kidneys, damages arteries to the kidneys and accelerates loss of kidney function.

E-cigarettes also contain nicotine but not as much as regular cigarettes. The nicotine content in a single cigarette varies but may contain about 6 milligrams (mg) on the low end to as much as 28 mg. The average cigarette contains about 10 to 12 mg of nicotine.  In comparison, e-cigarettes contain, on average, 0.5 to 15.4 mg.

A this time, research is limited on the effect of e-cigarette use on increasing kidney cancer risk but it would be prudent to not take the chance of using them in regards to this disease.

• Erectile dysfunction

More than 20 million American men suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED). This inability to either achieve or maintain an erection firm enough for sexual intercourse is directly impacted by men who smoke or are exposed to secondhand smoke. ED is the result of poor blood flow to the penis.  Men who smoke are harming the blood vessels that supply this blood flow, resulting in a man’s unable to get or keep an erection.

The aerosol inhaled when vaping does frequently contain nicotine and other chemicals that are harmful to health. Long-term studies have shown that the intensity of cigarette smoking is correlated with a greater degree of erectile dysfunction. That’s because nicotine is a vasoconstrictor, causing blood vessels to narrow, reducing blood flow. Erections rely on good unrestricted blood flow to the penis, thus this constriction makes that harder to happen.

Men who are regular users of e-cigarettes and are experiencing ED for the first time, would be wise to stop their use seeing if the nicotine in vaping was the reason for difficulty in achieving erections in the first place.

Bottom line

Whether a man is using traditional cigarettes or e-cigarettes, both carry potential harmful and deadly risks to one’s health.  The best approach is never start the habit of any type of smoking to begin with. Seek help from your primary care physician on advice on quitting smoking to gain back your health and life.