NHS Nottingham Warns That Young People Are Among Patients Hospitalized for Vaping-Related Illnesses

In recent years, young people aged 10 to 19 in Nottingham have been hospitalized due to vaping-related illnesses, according to data. Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) reported that its Queen's Medical Centre and City Hospital have treated 11 adult patients so far this year.

Compared to smoking cigarettes, the risks of vaping are slightly lower, with smoking causing about 450,000 hospitalizations and 76,000 deaths annually in the UK. However, vaping is not completely harmless, and the government has announced plans to combat marketing this product to children.

Dr. Dave Briggs, medical director of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire NHS, stated that as more people start using e-cigarettes, the number of hospitalizations related to vaping has increased in recent years. According to data obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request in Nottinghamshire, there have been 11 hospitalizations so far in 2023, two more than the nine in 2022.

In 2020 and 2021, there were six patients hospitalized each year due to vaping-related issues. Among those hospitalized in the past four years, at least two were aged 10 to 19.

The oldest hospitalized patients were over 80 years old in 2020 and 2023. "We take health issues related to vaping very seriously, and as more people start using e-cigarettes, the number of hospitalizations related to vaping has increased in recent years," Dr. Briggs said.

"Vaping is not completely harmless, and we only recommend it for adult smokers to support smoking cessation. Nicotine e-cigarettes have significantly lower harm than smoking, but they are not without risk, and minors and those under 18 should not use e-cigarettes.

"If you decide to purchase e-cigarettes, it is also important to ensure you buy them legally, as unregulated e-cigarettes pose greater health risks."

Professor Sanjay Agrawal, a respiratory consultant at Leicester University Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "Every year, there are about 450,000 hospitalizations related to smoking, which has devastating consequences for patients and their families. We must help as many people as possible to quit smoking completely through medications or e-cigarettes and behavioral support.

"Vaping is much safer than smoking, and the risks, including hospitalization, are only a small fraction of those associated with smoking." The Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust stated in response to the FOI request that there were no recorded hospitalizations related to vaping.