E-Cigarettes and Cardiopulmonary Health

Abstract

E-cigarettes have surged in popularity over the last few years, particularly among youth and young adults. These battery-powered devices aerosolize e-liquids, comprised of propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG), typically with nicotine, flavors and stabilizers/humectants. Although the use of combustible cigarettes is associated with several adverse health effects including multiple pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases, the effects of e-cigarettes on both short- and long-term health have only begun to be investigated. Given the recent increase in the popularity of e-cigarettes, there is an urgent need for studies to address their potential adverse health effects, particularly as many researchers have suggested that e-cigarettes may pose less of a health risk than traditional combustible cigarettes and should be used as nicotine replacements. This report is prepared for clinicians, researchers, and other health care providers to provide the current state of knowledge on how e-cigarette use might affect cardiopulmonary health, along with research gaps to be addressed in future studies.

Tobacco use disorder and cardiovascular health

“…Pre‐clinical studies with e‐cigarette aerosols, flavor chemicals and nicotine show a variety of toxic effects including cytotoxicity, altered vascular function, inflammation and platelet activation that could contribute to CVD [51]. However, it is difficult to extrapolate preclinical studies to human disease risk owing to differences in doses and exposure schedules and the model test system.…”

From Tobacco Cigarettes to Electronic Cigarettes: The Two Sides of a Nicotine Coin

“…Emerging data indicate that e-cig use may adversely affect the pulmonary and cardiovascular systems [24,[35][36][37][38][39]. Also, limited evidence exists on the potential of e-cigs to cause carcinogenic effects [32,33,[40][41][42][43][44][45].…”

E-Cigarette Use and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Longitudinal Analysis of the PATH Study (2013–2019)

“…Despite increasing popularity of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), the long-term health effects of habitual e-cigarette use remain unclear. 1 Many constituents of e-cigarette aerosols, including nicotine, carbonyl compounds, fine particulate matter, and metals, are associated with substantial toxicity. 1 Inhalation of e-cigarette aerosols among young, healthy adults induces inflammation and oxidative stress.…”

“…1 Many constituents of e-cigarette aerosols, including nicotine, carbonyl compounds, fine particulate matter, and metals, are associated with substantial toxicity. 1 Inhalation of e-cigarette aerosols among young, healthy adults induces inflammation and oxidative stress. 1 Two large cross-sectional studies reported no significant association between exclusive e-cigarette use and cardiovascular disease (CVD).…”

“…1 Inhalation of e-cigarette aerosols among young, healthy adults induces inflammation and oxidative stress. 1 Two large cross-sectional studies reported no significant association between exclusive e-cigarette use and cardiovascular disease (CVD). 2,3 However, longitudinal studies are essential to assess the association of e-cigarette use with incident CVD.…”