A new study finds a 252% increased risk of earlier asthma onset among recent e-cigarette users.
RT’s Three Key Takeaways
- A UTHealth Houston study found that adults who used e-cigarettes in the past 30 days had a 252% increased risk of developing asthma at an earlier age compared to those who did not use e-cigarettes.
- The findings suggest the need to modify screening guidelines to include recent e-cigarette use, which could lead to earlier detection and treatment of asthma, thereby reducing associated morbidity and mortality.
- Researchers say the findings highlight the need for tobacco regulations, prevention, intervention campaigns, and cessation programs to address the health risks posed by e-cigarette use, particularly in preventing early asthma onset.
UTHealth Houston research has discovered a significant link between e-cigarette use and an earlier age of asthma onset in US adults.
The research, published in JAMA Network Open, found that adults who were asthma-free at the beginning of the study and reported e-cigarette use in the past 30 days increased their risk of developing earlier age of asthma onset by 252%.
“While previous studies have reported that e-cigarette use increases the risk of asthma, our study was the first to examine the age of asthma onset,” says first author Adriana Pérez, PhD, MS, professor of biostatistics and data science at UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, in a release. “Measuring the potential risk of earlier age of asthma onset as it relates to past 30-day e-cigarette use may help people from starting use or motivate them to stop.”
The study team analyzed secondary data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study, a national longitudinal study of tobacco use and how it affects the health of adults and youths in the US.
Importance of Further Research and Screening Guidelines
“The findings of the study underscore the need for further research, particularly regarding the impact of e-cigarette use on youth and its association with early age of asthma onset and other respiratory conditions,” says Pérez who is also with the Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living at the School of Public Health, in a release. “It also highlights the importance of modifying screening guidelines to incorporate recent use of e-cigarettes, which could lead to earlier detection and treatment of asthma, reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with the disease.”
Pérez says the study highlights the need to address the health burden of asthma, which results in $300 billion in annual losses due to missed school or workdays, mortality, and medical costs according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tobacco regulations, prevention, intervention campaigns, and cessation programs are needed to prevent early age of asthma onset due to e-cigarette use, the authors wrote.
Call for Proactive Public Health Measures
“There is a lot we have yet to learn, but what we do know is that the use of nicotine products, including e-cigarettes, poses serious health risks, and those need to be addressed with more proactive measures,” says co-author Pushan P. Jani, MD, MSc, associate professor of pulmonology in the Department of Internal Medicine at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, in a release.
Looking ahead, Pérez says she and her team would like to explore potential links between e-cigarette use and the early onset of cancer, further broadening the understanding of the health implications associated with nicotine products.
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