Desperate to quit cigarettes but are vapes a mistake?

GETTING TO THE HEART OF MEDICAL MATTERS

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Q I have COPD because I smoked for years. I managed to give up a couple of years ago, but after being made redundant last autumn, I was stressed and bored and started again. My chest is now bad, and I know I've got to give up for good. Last time I stopped, I used vapes but I keep reading they are harmful. Would it be safe for me for use them again? It really helped last time.

A In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, the airways inside the lungs are inflamed and narrowed, which limits flow of air into and out of the lungs. This causes wheezing and breathlessness, especially when more air is needed, for example, during exercise, and the inflammation can cause persistent coughing, often with a lot of phlegm.

Not surprisingly, people often feel tired and are prone to frequent lung infections. By far, the most common cause of COPD is cigarette smoking, though pipe smoking, cigars and any device where tobacco is burned, can be to blame. Unfortunately, the damage to the airways in COPD is permanent, and though medicines are available to help you to relieve symptoms, the most important thing is to stop smoking, as the more you smoke, the worse the damage will become, and you will also be more prone to serious lung infections.

While it's the nicotine in cigarettes that is so addictive, and makes it very difficult to stop, that's not what causes the lung damage - it is the toxic chemicals, including tar, that are produced when tobacco is heated that are so harmful to the lungs.

Though vaping is not risk free, it is far less harmful than smoking, and research has shown smokers are twice as likely to give up by vaping compared to other nicotine products, such as patches or gum.