E-cigarettes with nicotine can cause arterial stiffness, which could increase the risk of heart attack and stroke in later life, Swedish researchers warn today.
The results from the preliminary study could have implications for the e-cigarette industry and adds to a growing body of evidence that suggests the devices could cause damage to health, say the researchers.
The role of e-cigarettes has been controversial and many health policy-makers have favoured light regulation on the grounds that they help people avoid smoking tobacco.
It is the first time that e-cigarettes have been found to cause stiffening of the arteries in human, says Dr Magnus Lundbäck, a research leader and clinical registrar at the Danderyd University Hospital, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm.
Presenting the research at the European Respiratory Society International Congress today (Monday) in Milan, Italy, Dr Magnus Lundbäck will say although the number of e-cigarette users has increased dramatically in the last few years and that they are regarded as almost harmless by the general public, the safety of the devices is still under debate.
“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,” he will tell delegates.
“Arterial stiffness increased around three-fold in those who were exposed to nicotine containing e-cigarettes compared to the nicotine-free group.”
Dr Lundbäck and colleagues recruited 15 young, healthy volunteers to take part in the study in 2016.
The participants, whose average age was 26 and 59% of whom were female, smoked a maximum of ten cigarettes a month and none had not used e-cigarettes before.
They were given e-cigarettes with nicotine to use for 30 minutes on one of the study days and e-cigarettes without nicotine on the other day and their blood pressure, heart rate and arterial stiffness were measured immediately after smoking the e-cigarettes and then two and four hours later.
In the first 30 minutes after smoking e-cigarettes containing nicotine, there was a significant increase in blood pressure, heart rate and arterial stiffness. However, there was effect was seen on heart rate and arterial stiffness in the volunteers who had smoked e-cigarettes without nicotine.
“The immediate increase in arterial stiffness that we saw is most likely attributed to nicotine,” said Dr Lundbäck.
“The increase was temporary. However, the same temporary effects on arterial stiffness have also been demonstrated following use of conventional cigarettes. Chronic exposure to both active and passive cigarette smoking causes a permanent increase in arterial stiffness.
“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.”
He added that their study underlined the necessity of maintaining a critical and cautious attitude towards e-cigarettes, especially for health care professionals, adding that e-cigarette users should be aware of the potential dangers of this product.
Abstract no OA1979: Acute effects of active e-cigarette inhalation on arterial stiffness; Effects of air pollution on asthma and COPD session.
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