Combining vaping with smoking raises the risk for respiratory wheeze and cough, according to a study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. For the study, the investigators analyzed data from nearly 21,000 Americans aged 12 and older who took part in a national survey and had no respiratory symptoms at baseline in 2015-2016. When surveyed again about 1 year later, respiratory symptoms were reported by nearly 11% of those who did not use e-cigarettes or tobacco cigarettes, nearly 12% of those who used e-cigarettes only, 17% of those who used tobacco cigarettes only, and nearly 20% of those who used both e-cigarettes and tobacco cigarettes. Dual users were nearly twice as likely to develop respiratory symptoms as exclusive e-cigarette users and just over 1.2 times more likely to have symptoms than exclusive tobacco smokers. The risk of new respiratory symptoms among people who used e-cigarettes only was not significantly higher than the risk among those who didn’t vape or smoke. “To help people quit smoking, FDA-approved medications, such as the nicotine patch or the medication varenicline, are preferred,” a co-author said.
