According to a study by the American National Academy of Sciences, passive exposure to e-cigarettes increases the risk of exacerbations in preadolescents and adolescents with asthma.
AN INCREASED RISK OF EXACERBATIONS WITH PASSIVE VAPING
A report from the US National Academy of Sciences recently concluded that e-cigarette use likely increases coughing, wheezing and exacerbations in young asthmatics, although the level of evidence is limited. This raises the question of passive exposure to aerosols released by these e-cigarettes. However, an observational study suggests that it too could increase exacerbations in preadolescents and adolescents with asthma (1).
This American study involves 12 young asthmatics aged 000 to 11 living in Florida whose smoking, use of e-cigarettes and hookah, passive exposure to tobacco smoke and e-cigarettes have been documented, as well as asthmatic exacerbations that occurred during the year. A total of 17% of them had done so, and 21% reported being exposed to e-cigarette aerosols.
The analysis confirms the impact of smoking: exacerbations were more frequent in smokers and those exposed to passive smoking. But it also shows that exposure to e-cigarette aerosols, after adjustments, is significantly associated with an increased risk of exacerbations (RR = 1,27; [1,1 - 1,5]). And this association being independent of smoking, passive smoking and recourse to e-cigarettes, exposure to aerosols would therefore constitute a factor in itself of exacerbations.
These results need to be confirmed in a prospective longitudinal study, note the authors. Nevertheless, in the meantime, in clinical practice, it seems advisable to advise young asthmatics to avoid not only the use of e-cigarettes, but also the passive exposure to aerosols they release.
(1) Bayly JE et al. Secondhand exposure to aerosols from electronic nicotine delivery systems and asthma exacerbations among youth with asthma. Chest. 2018 Oct 22. DOI: 10.1016 / j.chest.2018.10.005
Source :Lequotidiendumedecin.fr
