Symptoms during Adolescents’ First Use of Cigarettes and E-Cigarettes: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Symptoms adolescents experience during their first time using a cigarette predict their current use, but little is known regarding the symptoms experienced during first e-cigarette use. We conducted a pilot study to understand the symptoms adolescents experience when they first tried cigarettes and e-cigarettes and the associations between these symptoms and current use. Participants were 41 adolescents in two U.S. cities who had tried cigarettes or e-cigarettes. We asked adolescents to recall the symptoms they experienced during their first cigarette or e-cigarette and categorized symptoms as negative (felt bad, coughing/chest pain, bad taste, upset stomach, dizzy/lightheaded) or positive (felt relaxed, rush/buzz). Adolescents reported fewer negative symptoms for first e-cigarette than first cigarette use (all p < 0.05). Current cigarette smoking was associated with endorsing fewer negative symptoms (OR = 0.49, 95% CI = [0.25, 0.95]) and more positive symptoms (OR = 7.11, 95% CI = [1.47, 34.33]) at first cigarette use. First e-cigarette use symptoms were not associated with current e-cigarette use. Adolescents reported fewer negative symptoms from first e-cigarette than from first cigarette, and e-cigarette symptoms did not influence use as they do for cigarettes. Additional research is needed to confirm these findings in longitudinal studies.

Lessons and Guidance from the Special Issue on Electronic Cigarette Use and Public Health

“…Comparative nicotine metabolism in e-cig users and smokers deserves study. The behaviors repeatedly documented in this special issue [ 27 , 30 , 34 ] and previous work [ 40 , 41 , 42 ] cannot be explained by nicotine absorption alone, no matter how efficiently an e-cig aerosol delivers nicotine. Furthermore, the efficiency of current e-cig designs does not explain how older e-cigs changed conventional nicotine dependence measures.…”

“…Although risk factors for experimenting with e-cigs and cigarettes may be similar, a small telephone survey of high-risk adolescents by Chen et al agrees that initial experiences are not [ 27 ]. In findings consistent with a large printed survey of unselected 6th through 10th grade students [ 28 ], cigarettes had more negative effects and were less calming than e-cigs, but delivered a better “buzz”.…”

Health consequences of smoking – focusing on alternative smoking methods

“…However, a small group of these respondents highlighted worsening in the state of their illnesses [20,42]. Furthermore, during the investigation of specific symptoms in volunteers (n = 41) who wanted to smoke e-cigarettes for the first time, the authors summarized that about 60% of the respondents felt bad after using ECs: they started coughing or had irritated eyes, chest pains, and also an upset stomach [43]. The case report of a 20-year-old male sailor showed shortness of breath, cough and facial flushing after using e-cigarettes.…”

Influence of Electronic Cigarettes on Antioxidant Capacity and Nucleotide Metabolites in Saliva

“…Electronic cigarettes were initially presented as a less harmful substitute for tobacco smoking. However, taking recent research into consideration, this view is controversial [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ]. It has been proven that electronic cigarettes have a negative effect on oral mucosa leading to death of oral epithelial keratinocytes and periodontal fibroblasts [ 28 , 29 , 30 ].…”