Older users of e cigarettes at greater risk of respiratory illness, study suggests CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy National Emphysema Foundation E cigarettes are Poor Substitutes for Conventional Smoking in COPD Patients E cigarettes May Worsen COPD Patient Care Online Vaping is not harmless. A new study from Johns Hopkins Medicine reveals that e cigarettes significantly increase the risk of COPD and high blood pressure. Our own Dr. Todd Hoopman shares firsthand accounts