Most teenagers are accustomed to smoking with e-cigarettes because they are unaware that it damages the lungs in the same way as traditional cigarettes. One third of Hungarian young people aged 13-15 have already tried some kind of tobacco product, fifteen percent smoke regularly, and six percent use only electronic cigarettes, which are just as harmful as traditional cigarettes. This is why Semmelweis Health Days on November 26 will be dedicated to the lung-damaging effects of alternative tobacco products, addressing both adolescents and adults.
In Hungary, 25,000 more people would survive every year if they did not smoke. When the electronic cigarette appeared on the market a few years ago, it was misleadingly advertised as a smoking cessation aid, but since then many controversial researches have come to light and it has been shown that the addictive nicotine is just as introduced into the body by the e-cigarette. According to a candidate for medicine from the Department of Pulmonology at Semmelweis University, this is particularly dangerous because of the growing number of young people aged 13-15 who start smoking with e-cigarettes and are unaware that it develops physical and mental dependence in the same way. In addition, it directly damages the lungs in the same way as a conventional cigarette.
It is well known that smoking is the primary cause of lung tumors, but the presentation “Alternative Tobacco Products and the Lungs” also reveals what other diseases cigarettes can underlie, the effects of second-hand smoke on the fetus and the positive changes it brings. cessation of smoking after a day, a week, a month or even a year. Dr. Brigitta Dombai will point out, among other things, how long it takes for damaged epithelial cells to regenerate in the nasal mucosa, that is, when refined smell or taste perception returns after smoking cessation.
The specialist sees it as worthwhile to start health promotion and education at a younger age, because the rate of unsuccessful quitting among smokers is very high, which is the best alternative if we are not used to smoking. As he says, there are many smoking cessation products from medication to patches to nicotine chewing gum, but he believes that in order to quit smoking permanently, in addition to overcoming physical dependence, psychic addiction must be overcome, so psychotherapy must be part of a successful quit.
