Increased Use of Disposable E-Cigarettes
E-Cigarette Use During Adolescence Also Impacts Brain Development
A story has emerged of a British woman who has been using e-cigarettes since her teenage years and developed cancer, ultimately undergoing partial lung removal.
Recently, The Sun in the UK reported that Kayleigh Boda, 22, began coughing up blood in January and visited a hospital, where she was diagnosed with lung cancer.
Kayleigh shared, "I used to use a reusable e-cigarette, but a few months ago I switched to a disposable e-cigarette," adding, "The (lung cancer) symptoms appeared after I started using disposable e-cigarettes." After that, her usage frequency increased rapidly, consuming one product with a 600-puff capacity per week.
In November of last year, Kayleigh developed a rash all over her body and visited the hospital. The medical staff initially diagnosed her with shingles, chickenpox, or scabies, but her condition did not improve. Over the following months, Kayleigh began coughing up thick, dark brown mucus, which gradually turned into bright red blood over time.
After returning to the hospital for a biopsy, Kayleigh was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer. She added that she could not believe she had developed lung cancer, as there was no family history of the disease. In September, she underwent surgery to remove part of her right lung and nearby lymph nodes. After the surgery, she had difficulty breathing and had to relearn how to walk through rehabilitation therapy.
Kayleigh said, "After undergoing surgery to remove my right lung, I developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Every night, I wake up gasping for air in my hospital bed and have the same dream where I have to learn to walk again."
Currently, Kayleigh is receiving chemotherapy to treat cancer found in her lymph nodes, but she is experiencing severe side effects such as coughing up blood and hematuria. She stated, "I'm terrified to start chemotherapy again," and emphasized, "Quit smoking."
Meanwhile, the use of e-cigarettes during adolescence is considered a medical risk factor that can directly affect the developing body and brain. The adolescent brain, particularly the prefrontal cortex, continues to mature until the mid-20s, and this region is responsible for judgment and impulse control. However, nicotine is known to affect brain development. Nicotine can excessively stimulate the brain's reward circuitry, interfering with neural connection formation and potentially causing decreased attention, increased impulsivity, anxiety, and depressive symptoms.
In particular, because e-cigarettes cause less irritation when inhaled, it is difficult to accurately recognize the amount of nicotine consumed, which can lead to high dependence. Furthermore, numerous studies have confirmed the so-called "gateway effect," where adolescents who use e-cigarettes are more likely to transition to smoking conventional cigarettes later on.
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