Acute lung damage in the lung parenchyma associated with traditional cigarette consumption vs. electronic cigarette

Abstract

Introduction: Smoking is the main individual cause of preventable deaths in the world, so currently, due to the damage associated with tobacco, new alternatives to traditional cigarettes have been incorporated, such as electronic cigarettes; however, due to the consumption of these, there are new reports about the syndrome of lung injury associated with the use of electronic cigarettes or vaping products (EVALI) so this review seeks to detail which are these injuries that occur and compare them with the injuries of traditional cigarette consumption. Objective: The objective of the present investigation has been to carry out a review of the bibliography about the pathological characteristics that can be presented by the consumption of these devices. Methodology: A narrative bibliographic review was carried out about acute lung damage in the lung parenchyma associated with traditional cigarette consumption vs. electronic cigarette performing a search in different databases such as pubmed, scopus, elsevier. Development: It is thought that vitamin E acetate may be one of the substances found in electronic cigarette liquid that has the greatest association with EVALI; in turn, the sweeteners and flavorings used in these preparations increase the probability that people try or continue to use e-cigarette products facilitating the use of nicotine in these devices by masking the aversive properties of nicotine. Regarding the acute lesions found by traditional cigarettes, acute eosinophilic pneumonia was detailed, which, when compared with the pathological findings caused by EVALI, similarities such as type II pneumocyte hyperplasia, increased amount of intra-alveolar fibrin, and eosinophilic infiltration were observed. Conclusion: Both electronic and traditional cigarettes can present acute pathologies, differentiating them into acute eosinophilic pneumonia and EVALI, so the switch to electronic cigarettes does not present any benefit for the consumer. General area of study: Medicine. Specific area of study: Pneumology, Pathology.