Vaping: A Growing Threat To Asthma Patients

Barnama

28-05-2025

KUALA LUMPUR, May 28 (Bernama) -- Once believed to be a safer alternative to smoking, vaping has emerged as a serious health risk, especially for adolescents and individuals with asthma.
Despite the absence of tobacco combustion and lower levels of toxic chemicals, e-cigarettes still deliver harmful substances such as nicotine, propylene glycol, and flavouring agents that can damage the lungs.
According to the Adolescent Health Survey 2022 by the Health Ministry, tobacco use among Malaysian adolescents declined slightly from 20.9 per cent in 2017 to 18.5 per cent in 2022.
However, adolescent vaping rose sharply during the same period—from 9.8 per cent to 14.9 per cent—raising concern among healthcare professionals who warn the trend may continue due to increasing social acceptance.
With World No-Tobacco Day approaching, experts are urging the public to pay greater attention to the respiratory dangers of vaping, especially among adolescents and those with pre-existing conditions such as asthma.
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Consultant Paediatrician and Paediatric Respiratory Specialist at Sunway Medical Centre, Sunway City, Dr Noor Zehan Abdul Rahim, has cautioned that e-cigarette users face potential complications, including symptoms of e-cigarette or vaping-associated lung injury (EVALI).
She shared the case of a healthy teenager who suffered respiratory failure just weeks after casually taking up vaping. The boy developed severe breathing difficulty, coughed up blood, and required intensive care. A CT scan revealed acute lung injury caused by chemical inflammation.