In Adult Smokers Unwilling or Unable to Quit, Does Changing From Tobacco Cigarettes to Electronic Cigarettes Decrease the Incidence of Negative Health Effects Associated With Smoking Tobacco? A Clin-IQ

Authors

Jennifer Brown, University of Oklahoma College of MedicineFollow
Brandon Brown, University of Oklahoma College of MedicineFollow
Peter Schwiebert, University of Oklahoma College of MedicineFollow
Kalyanakrishnan Ramakrisnan, University of Oklahoma College of MedicineFollow
Laine H. McCarthy, University of Oklahoma College of MedicineFollow

Publication Date

5-23-2014

Keywords

pregnant women, children, preexisting lung disease

Abstract

Data from a randomized controlled trial and systematic review support the claim that switching from tobacco cigarettes to electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) can reduce the short-term negative health effects of smoking. In adult smokers unwilling or unable to quit, exhaled carbon monoxide levels, total number of cigarettes smoked, and exposure to nitrosamine chemicals were reduced within a 12-month period. While the e-cigarette industry remains largely unregulated thus far, these studies provide encouraging hope in the uphill battle toward helping patients make informed and healthy choices.

Recommended Citation

Brown J, Brown B, Schwiebert P, Ramakrisnan K, McCarthy LH. In adult smokers unwilling or unable to quit, does changing from tobacco cigarettes to electronic cigarettes decrease the incidence of negative health effects associated with smoking tobacco? A Clin-IQ. J Patient Cent Res Rev. 2014;1:99-101. doi: 10.17294/2330-0698.1019

Erratum

This article mistakenly reports the delivery agent in electronic cigarettes as diethylene glycol instead of propylene glycol. Propylene glycol is a relatively benign substance commonly used in concert smoke machines. Diethylene glycol, a highly toxic substance, was reportedly found in only one e-cigarette cartridge studied in the literature, which may have been due to use of a nonpharmaceutical grade propylene glycol. JPCRR regrets this error.