E-cigarette users have 30% higher risk for chronic lung diseases, study finds

Nov. 12 (UPI) -- E-cigarette users have a roughly 30% higher risk for developing respiratory illness, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, chronic bronchitis and asthma than non-users, according to a study published Thursday by JAMA Network Open.

The risk for these chronic diseases among current e-cigarette users is 31% higher compared to non-users, while former e-cigarette users have a 28% higher risk, the data showed.

"In recent years, we have seen a dramatic increase in e-cigarette use among youth and young adults, [and] these increases ... threaten to renormalize tobacco use in new generations of kids," study co-author Andrew C. Stokes told UPI.

"These trends also suggest that we may see increase in respiratory disease as youth and young adults age into midlife, including asthma, COPD and other respiratory conditions," said Stokes, assistant professor of global health at Boston University.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease causes obstructed airflow from the lungs, while asthma develops as a result of the narrowing of the airways, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Chronic bronchitis is common in smokers and makes them more prone to respiratory infections. Emphysema is a progressive condition, also diagnosed in smokers, that causes decreased lung capacity.

All four chronic conditions lead to difficulty breathing and can be life-threatening, particularly if left untreated, Stokes and his colleagues said.

For this study, the researchers analyzed data on nearly 22,000 U.S. adults from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study, a National Institutes of Health-led project intended to measure the effects of tobacco use on health.

They identified those who had been diagnosed with a respiratory disease between 2013 and 2018.

Within the study population, just over 14,000 never used e-cigarettes, while just over 5,000 formerly used e-cigarettes and 2,300 current used e-cigarettes, the researchers said.

Among current e-cigarette users, 144 developed chronic bronchitis and 119 were diagnosed with asthma, the data showed. COPD was diagnosed in 94 current e-cigarette users in the study, while 62 developed emphysema, according to the researchers.

Roughly one in five current users was diagnosed with one of these respiratory diseases, while 15% of former users developed them, the data showed. Ten percent of those who never used e-cigarettes were diagnosed with these diseases, the researchers said.

"This paper is among the first to indicate that e-cigarette use may lead to long-term respiratory harm," Stokes said.