TUESDAY, May 18, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Current electronic cigarette use is associated with significantly increased odds of having asthma, according to a study presented at the American Thoracic Society 2021 International Conference, held virtually from May 14 to 19.
Teresa To, Ph.D., from the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and colleagues used data from the 2015 to 2016 and 2017 to 2018 cycles of the Canadian Community Health Survey to determine whether youth and young adults (≥12 years) who are current e-cigarette users have increased odds of self-reported asthma and an asthma attack in the previous 12 months. The analysis included five matched controls for each individual with self-reported e-cigarette use (total, 17,190 participants).
The researchers found that 16.7 percent of participants reported e-cigarette use in the previous 30 days. There was increased odds of self-reported asthma with e-cigarette use in a univariate analysis (odds ratio, 1.19). Odds remained the same when adjusting for potential confounders. Higher odds of asthma were also seen for current and former tobacco smokers (odds ratios, 1.20 and 1.33, respectively). Among participants reporting having asthma, e-cigarette users had higher odds of having an asthma attack in the previous 12 months in an adjusted analysis (odds ratio, 1.29).
“Our findings suggest that e-cigarette use is a modifiable risk factor for asthma to be considered in the primary care of youth and young adults,” To said in a statement.
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