Yes. While e-cigarettes appear to contain lower levels of potentially carcinogenic compounds, there is still a significant amount of nicotine in the aerosol created by e-cigarettes. Nicotine has been demonstrated to have a detrimental effect on the cells of the spinal disc (nucleus pulposus) and therefore, may potentiate degenerative disc disease.
What is the relationship between cigarette smoking and degenerative disc disease?
Cigarette Smoking and Degenerative Disc Disease. Cigarette smoking is a leading risk factor for degenerative disc disease (DDD). The term “degenerative disc disease” has been criticized by some because all discs do degenerate naturally over time. It's a normal part of the aging process. However, in some younger adults,...
Is vaping harmful to your spine?
It isn’t only adults who face the spine health risks associated with vaping. With the addition of fruit and candy-like flavorings to vape and e-cigarette products, there has been a significant increase in the popularity of these devices among adolescents in the United States.
How does smoking affect the degeneration of the spine?
This starves the disc of nutrients leading to disc degeneration. Disc degeneration may be an independent cause of pain and instability of the spine. Therefore, smokers damage healthy discs and accelerate damage to already degenerating discs.
Can vaping damage your vision?
With 18 deaths and more than 1,000 cases of a mysterious lung disease linked to vaping, the damaging health effects of e-cigarettes are in the news nearly every day. Now eye care professionals are sounding the alarm: Vaping may damage your vision.
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Does vaping deteriorate your back?
“When the cushioning discs of our low backs break down, it can actually lead to several different kinds of low back pain. And now we know there is a direct connection between nicotine and worsened disc degeneration,” he tells Health. Dr.
Does nicotine cause disc degeneration?
Nicotine, a constituent of tobacco smoke, present in most body fluids of smokers is known to have detrimental effects on a variety of tissues. It may also be directly responsible for intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration by causing cell damage in both the nucleus pulposus and anulus fibrosus.
Does nicotine affect discs in back?
Nicotine can also rob vital nutrients from the cells of your spinal discs that are needed to keep the disc health. Smoking also exposes your body to carbon monoxide, which affects your discs ability to absorb important nutrients from your blood.
What are the physiological effects of smoking e-cigarettes?
Primary research suggests that the principle mechanism behind physiological consequences related to e-cigarette exposure is oxidative stress and inflammation. Oxidative stress and inflammation are intricately linked bidirectional processes that together lead to cellular and tissue damage [13]. E-cigarette vapor itself, like cigarette smoke, is a potent source of ROS [14]. When using an e-cigarette, ROS are directly inhaled into the lungs and play an integral role in stimulating inflammatory signaling cascades [14,15]. Moreover, inflammation stemming from exposure to toxic chemicals in e-cigarette vapor results in the recruitment of immune cells like macrophages and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Subsequently, inflammatory proteins and immune cells generate ROS that work in a feed-forward manner to increase inflammation and cellular damage, which can have widespread effects on various organ systems.
When were electronic cigarettes invented?
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) were first designed by a Chinese pharmacist in 2003 [1] . In 2006, e-cigarettes were introduced to the United States market as a smoking cessation tool marketed as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes [2]. According to a recent study of U.S. adults, 95% of those interviewed believed e-cigarettes to be “cleaner and healthier” than conventional products, suggesting the validity of introductory claims were widely accepted by the general public [3]. The result was exponential growth in popularity among traditional combustible cigarette smokers, who represent 64.7% of e-cigarette users [4] . In a survey of approximately 15,000 U.S. adults between 2010 and 2013, e-cigarette use increased from 1.8% to 13%, approximately a seven-fold increase [4]. Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) evolved from traditional disposable e-cigarettes, which are similar to conventional cigarettes in flavor and appearance, to large-size tank devices, and finally “pod-mod” devices such as JUUL® [2]. The JUUL® was introduced in 2015, and immediately gained popularity amongst the youth due to its sleek design, desirable flavors, and the ability to smoke discreetly in prohibited locations [2]. The usage of ENDS has increased in young adults from 1.5% in 2011 to 20.8% in 2018 [2].
What is the strongest link to e-cigarettes?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), vitamin E acetate , a common additive in e-cigarette devices, represents the strongest link to e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) outbreak [5].
Can vaping affect spinal fusion?
The outcome and results of spinal fusion operations in patients who admit to e-cigarettes use are poorly described in the literature. A 2019 review by Amaro et al. provided a review of available knowledge on the effects of vaping on orthopedic surgeries that are pertinent to spinal fusions [30]. While the effects of e-cigarettes use on spinal fusion is not well documented, experiments of posterolateral spinal fusions in the rabbit model demonstrate that nicotine alone can affect surgical outcomes [30]. A 1995 study by Silcox et al. demonstrated systemic nicotine significantly increased pseudoarthrosis rate to 100% compared to 44% in control animals in a rabbit model of posterolateral spine fusion [31]. A 2000 study by Theiss et al. revealed nicotine alone inhibits the expression of multiple cytokines with a variety of functions during spine fusion [32].
Does vaping cause inflammation?
Recent data by Crotty Alexander et al. suggests that e-cigarette exposure triggers an inflammatory response that results in cellular damage to the airways, specifically by disrupting pulmonary epithelial barrier function [10]. In a feed-forward manner , disruption of barrier function and continued exposure to chemical toxins found in e-cigarette vapor contributes to systemic inflammation that can result in downstream organ pathologies such as renal fibrosis [10]. An essential component of inflammation is oxidative stress. Oxidative stress, which is generated by increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), can activate the transcription of inflammatory genes such as IL-8, a potent chemokine that recruits leukocytes and is involved in chronic inflammation [11]. Several groups have clearly demonstrated the link between vaping and oxidative stress using both in vivo and in vitro laboratory models. Lerner et al. measured intracellular glutathione (GSH) levels in mice exposed to e-cigarette vapor for three days (five hours total exposure time) [11]. GSH is an essential endogenous antioxidant that maintains cellular redox balance by responding to ROS stress [11]. The authors found that there was a significant decrease in GSH levels in mice exposed to e-cigarette vapor compared with air-exposed controls (P < 0.05) [11]. Additionally, there were modulations in the balance between the reduced and oxidized forms of GSH in mice exposed to e-cigarette vapor [11]. Ganapathy et al. found that human epithelial bronchial cells exposed to e-cigarette vapor for two weeks in vitro had significantly increased levels of oxidative damage, indicated by 8-oxo-dG DNA lesions, compared to the control group of air-only (P < 0.05) [12]. Cells exposed to e-cigarette vapor showed significantly increased levels of oxidative damage compared to cells exposed only to cigarette smoke (P < 0.05) [12]. Moreover, the authors reported a significant decrease in total antioxidant capacity in cells exposed to either e-cig vapor or cigarette smoke (P < 0.05), with no significant difference between the two experimental groups [12].
Is e-cigarette smoke a carcinogen?
The general consensus is that e-cigarette vapor has substantially lower levels of carcinogens and toxins found in traditional cigarette smoke. For example, Tayyarah et al. report that cigarette smoke contains between 3069 and 3350 μg/puff of the 55 harmful and potentially harmful constituents (HPHC) measured in the study [6]. Conversely, e-cigarette vapor contained <2 μg/puff of HPHCs, or ~99% less analytes than cigarettes [6]. However, there are novel toxicology risks associated with e-cigarettes that must be further evaluated. E-cigarettes have heating coils that are made of various metallic compounds and can be used with thousands of different e-liquids with various chemical flavoring additives [7]. Williams et al. quantified the abundance of metallic elements in various e-liquids using induced coupled plasma-optical emissions spectroscopy (ICP-OES) [8]. The authors reported that e-cigarette vapor contained aerosol particles >1µm of tin, silver, iron, nickel, aluminum, silicate [8]. Strikingly, nine of the 11 metals detected in e-cigarette vapor were equal to or greater than the concentration detected in cigarette smoke [8]. All of these metals are associated with human toxicity at high doses, particularly in the nervous, renal, and respiratory systems [8].
Is e-cigarettes healthier than conventional cigarettes?
According to a recent study of U.S. adults, 95% of those interviewed believed e-cigarettes to be “cleaner and healthier” than conventional products, suggesting the validity of introductory claims were widely accepted by the general public [3].
Is e-cigarette smoking harmful?
E-cigarettes have many harmful effects on multiple organ systems, but more research is needed to fully understand the extent of possible risks. Our nar …. "Vaping" or the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigar ettes) has greatly increased within the past decade, with growing popularity among adolescents. E-cigarettes have many harmful effects on ...
Does nicotine affect spinal fusion?
While studies have demonstrated the inhibitory effects of nicotine use on spinal fusions in animal models, the impact of e-cigarette use on spinal fusion operations in human patients is currently lacking.
How much disc recovery does smoking cause?
In cellular studies, stopping nicotine exposure demonstrated only 75-85 percent disc recovery in “ light smoking” and 55-75 percent disc recovery in “heavy smoking” groups at one year. And while quitting smoking has been linked to improved back pain, restoration of the nicotine-degenerated disc is minimal.
How does smoking affect your sensitivity to pain?
Sensitivity to Pain. Smoking increases sensitivity to pain by altering the perception of pain through the neuroendocrine system. Smokers who have spinal symptoms for the same amount of time as non-smokers report symptoms as more severe and present for a greater percentage of time each day.
Does nicotine cause disc degeneration?
Studies indicate that nicotine decreases the disc’s ability to regenerate its injured cells. Additionally, nicotine decreases blood flow and blocks oxygen transport to the disc (which already has minimal blood supply). This starves the disc of nutrients leading to disc degeneration. Disc degeneration may be an independent cause ...
Does nicotine damage the disc?
A normal disc is composed of a central “jelly-like” portion called the nucleus and outer rings of fibers called the annulus. Nicotine damages both the annulus and nucleus of the intervertebral disc. It appears that a normal disc, under normal wear and tear, develops small injuries called fissures, and these continually repair themselves. Studies indicate that nicotine decreases the disc’s ability to regenerate its injured cells. Additionally, nicotine decreases blood flow and blocks oxygen transport to the disc (which already has minimal blood supply). This starves the disc of nutrients leading to disc degeneration. Disc degeneration may be an independent cause of pain and instability of the spine. Therefore, smokers damage healthy discs and accelerate damage to already degenerating discs. In cellular studies, stopping nicotine exposure demonstrated only 75-85 percent disc recovery in “light smoking” and 55-75 percent disc recovery in “heavy smoking” groups at one year. And while quitting smoking has been linked to improved back pain, restoration of the nicotine-degenerated disc is minimal.
Does smoking cause osteoporosis?
Nicotine affects hormone levels, vitamin D and calcium absorption, blood vessel constriction and bone oxygen supply. In fact, nicotine opposes estrogen and stimulates earlier menopause in women. Smoking lowers testosterone levels. It also instigates chronic inflammation. Through these effects, nicotine promotes osteoporosis or weakening of bones. This increases the rate of fractures both in the spine and throughout the body. Women smoking more than one pack per day throughout adulthood have an average of five to ten percent lower bone density than non-smokers. Even second-hand smoke affects bone mineral density. Smoking causes an increased lifetime risk of developing a spine fracture by 32 percent in men and 13 percent in women.
Does nicotine cause spine problems?
Although less significant than cancer, nicotine use has been linked to spine problems on multiple levels. Absolutely no level of nicotine negates these risks, and therefore the only way to avoid this is complete cessation of nicotine-containing substances.
Is nicotine a carcinogen?
Nicotine in cigarettes, e-cigarettes, vapes, oral tobacco and even nicotine patches all contain carcinogenic substances such as hydrocarbons and tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNA). Nicotine use is the most preventable form of cancer and death known to mankind. Although less significant than cancer, nicotine use has been linked to spine problems ...
How many people die from vaping?
With 18 deaths and more than 1,000 cases of a mysterious lung disease linked to vaping, the damaging health effects of e-cigarettes are in the news nearly every day. Now eye care professionals are sounding the alarm: Vaping may damage your vision.
What is vaping liquid?
Vaping liquid contains nicotine, flavoring and other chemicals, but not tobacco.
Does vaping affect vision?
How vaping may affect your vision. A small-scale study published in September 2019 in the journal Optometry and Vision Science suggests vaping is not kind to our eyes. In the study, researchers found moderate to severe cases of dry eye and lower-quality tear film among 21 vapers compared with 21 healthy non-vapers.
Can smoking cigarettes cause vision problems?
Because some of these chemicals are also found in cigarettes, they could cause the same types of vision problems as cigarette smoking.
Is e-cigarette smoke dangerous?
Rohit Varma, director of the Southern California Eye Institute at CHA Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles, believes the vapor from e-cigarettes is just as dangerous to your eyes as the smoke from regular cigarettes.
Does vaping cause eye problems?
Varma says the eye health risks tied to vaping stem from the chemicals that are emitted, including formaldehyde, nicotine and diacetyl (which is found in some e-cigarette flavoring). Because some of these chemicals are also found in cigarettes, they could cause the same types of vision problems as cigarette smoking.
What causes blindness in smokers?
Cataracts. Cataracts are a leading cause of blindness worldwide, and smokers are at higher risk of this clouding of the cornea.
Can smoking cause blindness?
Glaucoma. Your risk of diabetes and high blood pressure are greater if you smoke. These devastating conditions put you at risk for glaucoma, which gradually causes eye damage, even blindness.
Is vaping harmful to eyes?
While there is not yet adequate data to determine the full effects vaping can have on eye health, it is safe to presume that the substances vaping liquids have in common with cigarettes make them dangerous as well, even if to a lesser degree.
Does vaping cause eye inflammation?
In fact, a study published in Frontiers in Physiology in 2017 suggests that vaping was to blame for oxidative stress that could lead to chronic disease, as well as eye inflammation . As recently as September 2019, a study published in Optometry and Vision Science compared 21 vapers and 21 non-vapers and found a prevalence of moderate to severe dry eye and lower tear film quality in the vaping group.
Does smoking cause dry eyes?
Dry eye syndrome. Smoking doubles the risk of irritating dry eye syndrome. The exhaled aerosols from vaping are believed to cause dry eyes as well.
What happens at stage 3 of disc disease?
Stage three is often when things start to get noticeably bad. The postural changes are even more pronounced than the earlier stages. The compression of nerves and the growth of bone spurs in the spine can cause constant pain. Since the discs are even more degraded at this stage, mobility is often limited. The lack of energy becomes more persistent.
What is the last stage of disc degeneration?
The last stage of disc degeneration is usually irreversible , requiring significant and risky surgery to provide any help at all. At this stage, the discs are fully degraded, entirely gone, or have herniated and are pressing on nerves, causing near-constant pain. This type of herniated disc is very different from a bulging disc, which can correct itself. At this stage, the spinal vertebrae may begin to fuse together, severely limiting mobility and drastically decreasing quality of life.
How do you know if you are in stage 1 of DDD?
Usually the telltale sign that you’re in stage one of DDD is the loss of the natural curvature of the spine , which can often only be seen by a chiropractor or a physician. This change in the spinal curvature causes a pressure increase on the discs of the spine. Sometimes, this stage may increase the risk of a herniated or bulging disc.
How long does it take for a degenerative disc to develop?
Some form of disc degeneration usually begins between the third and fourth decades of life. As we get older, the more our discs will naturally degrade.
How long does it take for degeneration to go from stage one to stage 4?
The time it takes for degeneration to go from stage one to stage four can take decades, if it happens at all. Anyone who ignores the symptoms and does nothing to slow DDD can expect it to progress faster than anyone who seeks treatment and takes preventative measures.
Can degenerative disc disease cause paralysis?
While it’s possible to suffer from serious issues because of degenerative disc disease, paralysis is rare. The compression of the nerves in the spine due to DDD can cause numbness, pain, weakness, and even loss of bowel and bladder control, it’s rare that the disease is allowed to progress enough to cause paralysis.
Is degenerative disc disease a disease?
Before we go any further, it’s important to note that degenerative disc disease is a disease in the sense that many people think of diseases. Some amount of disc degeneration is normal as we age, but when the breakdown of the spinal discs progresses beyond this and causes pain, it can be classified as degenerative disc disease.
What is degenerative disc disease?
Over time, the discs that cushion the spine naturally begin to deteriorate as a result of years of wear and tear, combined with age-related changes like loss of water and protein content. This phenomenon is particularly common in the highly flexible and weight-burdened regions of the spine in the lumbar (lower) and cervical (upper) spinal regions.
Leading causes of degenerative disc disease
In addition to the natural aging process, there are a number of risk factors to keep in mind. Generally speaking, any activity that increases strain or stress on the spinal column can accelerate the degenerative process.
Treatment options for degenerative disc disease
While many patients with degenerative disc disease benefit from conservative treatments such as physical therapy, epidural steroid injections and lifestyle changes such as improving posture or quitting smoking, surgery may be recommended if weeks or months go by without an improvement in symptoms.
What is degenerative disc disease?
One of the more unfortunate aspects of getting older is that your joints begin to wear out, oftentimes for no good reason. This wear and tear of the joints is not only common in the knees and the hips but also in the spine.
What are the signs of arthritis of the spine?
Most of the time when there is a little arthritis in the spine, the affected person never knows that it has developed. Sometimes the arthritis can be fairly severe and still have no symptoms.
Why does arthritis cause these symptoms?
The spine in your body is divided roughly into three regions (Figure 1). The region in your neck area is the cervical spine, the region in your chest is the thoracic spine and the region in your low back is the lumbar spine. The spine is made up of bones, called the vertebrae, and soft spacers between the bones called discs (Figure 2).
What can my doctor do about the symptoms?
Treatment depends upon the severity of the symptoms and whether or not there are any signs that the nerves are involved. The doctor will take your history and do an examination of the muscles and nerves in your arms. In some cases an X-ray will be necessary to see if the discs are collapsing or if there are any bone spurs.
What other tests might be done?
he main reason to perform more tests is if the symptoms are getting worse despite treatment, if the pain is severe or if you have signs of nerve damage — particularly nerve damage that is getting worse. The signs of worsening nerve damage would be increasing tingling or numbness, weakness and sometimes increasing pain.
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