The Great American Smokeout was held on Thursday, Nov. 21.

The initiative is held every year to encourage people to quit smoking.

However, it’s not just smoking that’s a concern, so is vaping.

A recent study shows those who vape are 19% more likely to develop heart failure than those who have never done it before.

“The study was looking at, with this new trend of vaping, does it actually affect the heart in such a way that it causes the heart to fail? Heart failure is extremely dangerous of a condition and very prominent. So anytime that we can look for causes that are reversible, we want to look for them,” said Dr. Nina Thakkar Rivera, a heart failure and transplant cardiologist for Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Rivera was not affiliated with the study.

However, she explained that heart failure occurs when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to meet the needs of your body. So how does vaping put you at risk for that?

She said it has to do with the toxic chemicals used in vaping devices.

They can impact the heart in many ways. The effects are similar to nicotine, which can increase blood pressure and heart rate and reduce blood flow to the heart muscle.

Dr. Rivera said with the growing evidence showing the dangers of vaping, she strongly recommends quitting.

If you experience any of these symptoms, you should tell your physician.

“Any type of cough, or shortness of breath, any chest pain, palpitations, any of these cardiac symptoms should alert immediate attention from the medical field,” she advised.

If you are having trouble quitting on your own, there are free resources available online, within the community, as well as from your primary physician.