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Kiwis have been urged to look after their lungs as Omicron hits communities.
A new University of Otago study has found that prolonged cannabis use led to over-inflated lungs and increased the resistance to airflow to a greater extent than tobacco.
Co-author Professor Bob Hancox says the study found that cannabis use may impair the ability of the lungs to extract oxygen from the breath.
“This is a known consequence of smoking tobacco, but has not been demonstrated with cannabis until now,” Professor Hancox says.
Another recent study from the Mayo Clinic in the United States looked at the effects of vaping on Covid-19 symptoms. Some 290 Covid-positive vapers aged 18 and older were compared with similar aged people who had Covid, but didn’t vape. The study found that those who vaped were more likely to report chest pain, chills, headaches, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and the loss of smell or taste. These patients also reported higher rates of laboured breathing, the new study findings showed.
The US vaping study can be read here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/21501319211062672.
The cannabis study can be read here: https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/rccm.202109-2058OC
