The use of electronic cigarettes increases the risk of stroke, heart attack and coronary heart disease

According to preliminary research presented in Honolulu at the 2019 International Stroke Conference of the American Stroke Association, a first global meeting for researchers and clinicians dedicated to the science and treatment of cerebrovascular disease.

In 2016, 3.2% of US adults and 11.3% of high school students reported using e-cigarettes in the previous 30 days. Its use among youth has increased by 900% between 2011 and 2015.

In the largest study to date on e-cigarettes and stroke, the researchers used a database of 400,000 respondents. This database, the 2016 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey, collected data from residents of 50 US states about their health risk behaviors, their health problems, and their chronic health and the use of prevention services.

"Compared to non-users, e-cigarette users were younger, their body mbad index and their diabetes rates were lower," said Paul M. Ndunda, author of the study and badistant professor at the School of Medicine at the University of Kansas at Wichita.

Some 66,795 respondents reported having used electronic cigarettes regularly. The control group consisted of 343,856 respondents who said they had never used electronic cigarettes. The odds ratios were calculated using a logistic regression badysis. The researchers found that, compared to non-users, users of electronic cigarettes had:

• 71 percent more risk of stroke;
• 59% higher risk of heart attack or angina pectoris;
• 40% higher risk of coronary heart disease; and
• Double the smoking rate.

They also found that 4.2% of electronic cigarette users reported having a stroke. However, the data in the study do not indicate deaths attributable to the use of the electronic cigarette.

The American Heart Association warns against the use of electronic cigarettes stating that nicotine-containing cigarettes are tobacco products that should be subject to any laws that apply to those products . The Association also calls for the adoption of strict new regulations to prevent the access, sale and marketing of electronic cigarettes to young people and for more research on the impact of the product on health.