Vascular Damage Similar With Use of E-Cigarettes and Conventional Cigarettes
E-cigarettes which contain nicotine are linked to increased arterial stiffness, according to the findings of a recent study. In a human study which sought to examine the effects of nicotine exposure through e-cigarette use, the researchers found similar increases in arterial stiffness and blood pressure that have been attributed to nicotine exposure from conventional cigarettes.1
Despite increases in the number of e-cigarette users and the marketing of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation aid, few studies have examined the effects of e-cigarette inhalation in humans.
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In their cross-over study, the researchers assessed the effects of e-cigarette use in a cohort of 15 young healthy volunteers. Volunteers were randomly assigned to 30 minutes of e-cigarette inhalation with or without nicotine. Arterial stiffness, heart rate, and blood pressure were measured immediately following e-cigarette use and at 2 and 4 hours after e-cigarette use.
Within the first 30 minutes following e-cigarette inhalation with nicotine, participants’ blood pressure increased significantly. Likewise, participants’ heart rate and arterial stiffness increased significantly following exposure to e-cigarette inhalation with nicotine. These results were not found in participants following e-cigarette use without nicotine.
“The results are preliminary, but in this study we found there was a significant increase in heart rate and blood pressure in the volunteers who were exposed to e-cigarettes containing nicotine,” the authors concluded. “Arterial stiffness increased around three-fold in those who were exposed to nicotine containing e-cigarettes compared to the nicotine-free group.”2
“Therefore, we speculate that chronic exposure to e-cigarettes with nicotine may cause permanent effects on arterial stiffness in the long term. As of today, there are no studies on the long-term effects on arterial stiffness following chronic e-cigarette exposure.”
—Melissa Weiss
Reference:
1) Lundbäck M, Antoniewicz L, Brynedal A, Bosson J. Acute effects of active e-cigarette inhalation on arterial stiffness. Presented at: European Respiratory Society International Congress; September 9-13, 2017. Milan, IT. Abstract OA1979.
2) E-cigarettes linked to increased arterial stiffness, blood pressure and heart rate in humans [press release]. Milan, IT: European Lung Foundation; September 9, 2017. http://www.europeanlung.org/en/news-and-events/media-centre/press-releases/e-cigarettes-linked-to-increased-arterial-stiffness,-blood-pressure-and-heart-rate-in-humans. Accessed September 11, 2017.