Dutch Doctorsโค Launch Study to Link Vaping & Smoking โtoโ Emergency Room Visits, Offer Immediate Cessation โSupport
AMSTERDAM – A coalition of Dutch medical associations, including emergency physicians,โ pediatricians, โand pulmonologists, alongside the Trimbos โInstitute and preventionโ platform Vapen#Your Choice, have launched a study to determine the daily number of patients seeking emergency care due to smoking and vaping-related illnesses. The initiative aims to inform policy changes and improve care pathways for nicotine users, โwith participants offered immediate referral to smoking cessation programs.
The study comes amid growing concern over the rising rates of vaping,particularly among young people. Recent data indicates that 13%โค of Dutch adults have ever used a vape,with 4% using them daily. A significant portion – one-third – of โขdaily vapersโ also smoke traditional cigarettes.
“Nicotine is extra bad for teenagers because it disrupts brain advancement,” explains Esther Croes, an epidemiologistโค at the Trimbos Institute. “This can cause permanent brain damage and mental problems, such as anxiety disorders, concentration โproblems andโ depression. This damage to the brain is irreversible.”
Doctors are particularly alarmed by the speed at which vapingโ can cause serious health issues,โฃ unlike cigarettes where illness often develops over years. Cases of acute pneumonia, asthma attacks, and collapsed lungs areโฃ being reported, with some requiring intensive care.
The study’s findings, expected within a month,โ will be used to strengthenโข prevention efforts and improve post-emergency care. Participants who smoke or โคvape will be offered a referral to cessation support services, recognizing that “a nicotine addiction holds people inโ its grip, sometimes even โwhen they become seriously ill,” according to Dr.Kraaijvanger.
The Trimbos Institute has also developed a “super short advice” method for doctors – a one-minuteโค conversation followed by a referral to smoking cessation guidance -โค which research suggests can double a patient’s chances of successfully quitting.