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Wills TA, et al. Current perspective on e-cigarette use and respiratory outcomes: mechanisms and messaging. Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/17476348.2024.2387090

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17476348.2024.2387090#d1e245

Authors “ review studies on acute effects of e-cigarette use for measures of pulmonary function and discuss selected laboratory studies on mechanisms of effect, focusing on processes with known relation to respiratory disease; oxidative stress and inflammation. They discuss available studies that have tested the effectiveness of communication strategies for prevention of e-cigarette use oriented to different audiences, including nonsmoking adolescents and adult smokers.”

Expert opinion
“We conclude that the evidence presents a mixed picture. Evidence is found for adverse consequences of e-cigarette use on measures of lung function and two disease-related biological processes, sometimes but not always less than for cigarette smoking. How to best communicate these results to a complex audience of users, from younger susceptible adolescents to long-term adult smokers interested in quitting, is a question of significant interest and empirically validated communication strategies are greatly needed.”

Note: Given the “adverse consequences of e-cigarette use” on the respiratory system, it is necessary to tell both adults and youth not to use e-cigarettes. Users may understandably question why these products are allowed if they are known to have adverse consequences. This is the “mixed picture” that no communication strategy can resolve. Stephen Hamann