By Fiorella Montoya

Young people between 15 and 29 years old represent the population most affected by this habit. The Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) urges discarding the false belief that vaping helps to quit smoking.

Disorders related to vaping experienced an exponential increase in the last two years in Costa Rica, according to data from the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS).

During 2021, 13 cases of illnesses related to the use of electronic vaping devices were reported. In 2022, this figure increased to 78 patients, but in 2023, it skyrocketed to 1,456 cases.

That is, last year, 1,443 more cases were recorded compared to 2021.

“Vaping represents a high risk not only of dependence but also of other chronic illnesses that can lead to premature deaths and poor quality of life,” said Marny Ramos, coordinator of the Commission for the Implementation of Tobacco Cessation Clinics at the CCSS.

The official emphasized that these devices and any tobacco-derived product are harmful to health.

In the last year, young people between 15 and 29 years old were the population with the highest prevalence of vaping, especially those between 20 and 24 years old, with 206 men and 126 women.

Ramos pointed out that although there is widespread knowledge about the diseases associated with tobacco consumption, there is still a lack of understanding of the consequences of vaping, especially on mental health and learning capacity, due to the consumption of products with high nicotine concentration, such as vapes, e-juices, pouches, and nicotine pouches.

Among the consequences of this practice that have been detected, the institution mentioned problems related to new respiratory diseases associated with chronic inflammation of the airways and lung tissue.

Additionally, there is an increase in non-communicable chronic diseases in younger and younger people, due to the substances present in the products used for vaping, which can contribute to raising heart disease, cancer, and carbohydrate intolerance, as indicated by the institution in a statement.

The CCSS made a vehement call to discard the false belief that vaping helps to quit smoking conventional cigarettes.

According to statistics obtained from data from the Unique Digital Health Record (EDUS), between 2022 and 2023, the number of people with problems related to tobacco almost doubled, from 5,700 to 11,995, respectively.

Furthermore, the entity warned that vaping can sometimes lead to the initiation of cigarette smoking or nicotine addiction.

Reference