Smoking and vaping marijuana increases the risk of asthma attacks among young adults, according to a study

HealthDay News.- Marijuana could increase the risk of an asthma attack in a young person, whether they smoke or vape it, according to a new study.

Young adults were between 57% and 81% more likely to suffer an asthma attack if they smoked or vaped cannabis, researchers recently reported in the journal Chest.

"Inhaling marijuana products -- whether smoking or vaping marijuana -- was significantly associated with a higher risk of asthma attacks," concluded the research team led by Dr. Eric Mortensen, chief of general internal medicine at UConn Health in Farmington, Connecticut.

Most marijuana consumers in the U.S. are young adults, with 35% of those aged 18 to 25 regularly smoking compared to 22% of those over 26, according to researchers in background notes.

For the new study, they tracked the health of nearly 4,500 young people aged 18 to 34 who were participating in an ongoing federal study on consumption and smoking. The team tracked marijuana use and compared it to asthma attacks among the participants. The results showed that 17% of the participants had smoked marijuana in the last 12 months, 9% had vaped, and almost 11% had done both. In general, around 5% of all respondents had experienced at least one asthma attack, according to the study.

We recommend reading:World Marijuana Day: between culture, debate and regulation

Researchers followed these young adults for a year to see if marijuana use was associated with asthma attacks. Those who smoked marijuana had a 64% higher risk of asthma attacks, while those who vaped had an 81% higher chance of suffering an asthma attack, according to the researchers. Those who smoked and vaped marijuana had a 57% higher risk. Previous studies have also linked marijuana to asthma, and some have found that the chances of asthma increase the more cannabis a person consumes, according to researchers. However, other studies have suggested that marijuana could help with asthma, possibly opening the airways, according to researchers. This study could not demonstrate a direct cause-and-effect relationship, but only show an association. "Given the increasing prevalence of marijuana use among young adults and the changing regulatory landscape of marijuana products, more research is needed to strengthen the understanding of its long-term effects on respiratory health, especially on asthma outcomes," the team concluded. "Such evidence will be essential to guide clinicians and shape public health recommendations."