FRIDAY, May 1, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use with or without combustible cigarette use is associated with a similar elevation in the augmentation index compared with combustible cigarette use alone, according to a study published online April 29 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Jessica L. Fetterman, Ph.D., from Boston University School of Medicine, and colleagues examined the correlation of e-cigarette use with preclinical measures of cardiovascular injury. Noninvasive vascular function testing was performed in individuals without known cardiovascular disease (CVD) or CVD risk factors who were nonsmokers, users of combustible cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or dual users (94, 285, 36, and 52, respectively).
The researchers found that combustible cigarette smokers had a higher augmentation index compared with nonusers in multivariable models adjusted for age, sex, race, and study site (129.8±1.5 versus 118.8±2.7). The augmentation index was similar for combustible cigarette users, sole e-cigarette users, and dual users (129.8±1.5 versus 126.2±5.9 and 134.9±4.0, respectively). Compared with nonsmokers, endothelial cells from combustible cigarette smokers and sole e-cigarette users produced less nitric oxide in response to A23187 stimulation, indicating impaired endothelial nitric oxide synthase signaling.
"These data suggest that the abnormalities in vascular stiffness persist in e-cigarette users and that, at least within the limitations of our cohort and measurement approaches, there was no evidence that the use of e-cigarettes reduces cardiovascular injury, dysfunction, or harm associated with the use of combustible tobacco products," the authors write.
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