Use of Electronic Cigarettes Tied to Earlier Age at Onset of Adult Asthma

FRIDAY, May 17, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Past 30-day electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) use among adults is associated with earlier ages of asthma onset, according to a study published online May 17 in JAMA Network Open.

Adriana Pérez, Ph.D., from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and colleagues explore the association of past 30-day ENDS use with the age of asthma onset in adults and youths who did not have asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and never used cigarettes. The analysis included 24,789 participants in the Population of Tobacco and Health Study (2013 to 2021).

The researchers found that by age 27 years, 6.2 per 1,000 adults reported asthma incidence. For adults who used ENDS in the past 30 days, when controlling for covariates, there was an increased risk for the onset of asthma at earlier ages compared with adults who did not use ENDS (adjusted hazard ratio, 3.52; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.24 to 10.02). There was no association seen for ENDS use in the past 30 days with age of asthma onset among youth (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.79; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.67 to 4.77); however, this could be due to a lack of statistical power.

"These findings suggest that prevention and cessation programs directed to adults who use ENDS are needed to educate the public, protect public health, prevent adverse health outcomes, and motivate users to stop," the authors write.

One author has served as an expert witness in litigation that the state of Minnesota brought against JUUL and Altria.

Abstract/Full Text