SynthesisThe European respiratory journal2021
E-cigarette use and respiratory disorders: an integrative review of converging evidence from epidemiological and laboratory studies.
Synthesis in The European respiratory journal, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 118 papers, 14 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
118 citing papers in PubMed, 14 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 206 citations in OpenAlex.
- Health impacts of electronic nicotine delivery systems: an umbrella review of systematic reviews.BMJ open · 2025Pooled it
- Association between e-cigarette use and COVID-19 diagnosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) Guidance for the Management of Electronic Cigarette Use (Vaping) in Adolescents and Adults.Respirology (Carlton, Vic.) · 2025Guideline
- Population-Based Disease Odds for E-Cigarettes and Dual Use versus Cigarettes.NEJM evidence · 2024Pooled it
- Review of quantitative and functional lung imaging evidence of vaping-related lung injury.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Pooled it
- A systematic review of experimental and longitudinal studies on e-cigarette use cessation.Addictive behaviors · 2023Pooled it
- Respiratory health effects of e-cigarette substitution for tobacco cigarettes: a systematic review.Harm reduction journal · 2023Pooled it
- Chemical Profiles and Toxicity of Electronic Cigarettes: An Umbrella Review and Methodological Considerations.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Pooled it
- The Health Effects of Real-World Dual Use of Electronic and Conventional Cigarettes versus the Health Effects of Exclusive Smoking of Conventional Cigarettes: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Health Effects of Electronic Cigarettes: An Umbrella Review and Methodological Considerations.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- E-cigarettes and nicotine abstinence: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2022Pooled it
- Chronic health effects associated with electronic cigarette use: A systematic review.Frontiers in public health · 2022Pooled it
- E-Cigarette Use and Adult Cigarette Smoking Cessation: A Meta-Analysis.American journal of public health · 2021Pooled it
- Comparison of e-Cigarette and Cigarette Use and Dual Use Associations With Disease: Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974)Pooled it
- Sharing Antivaping Social Media Messages.The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine · 2025Trial
- Pathway from Exposure to an E-Cigarette Prevention Social Media Campaign to Increased Quitting Intentions: A Randomized Trial Among Young Adult E-Cigarette Users.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Trial
- Understanding Potential Mechanisms of Vaping Prevention Messages: A Mediation Analysis of the Real Cost Campaign Advertisements.Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education · 2025Trial
- Assessing the Pragmatic Effectiveness and Implementation of Click City: Tobacco: A School-Based Prevention Program Targeting Youth Cigarette and E-cigarette Use.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2024Trial
- Impact of Vaping Prevention Advertisements on US Adolescents: A Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA network open · 2022Trial
- Identifying Promising Themes for Adolescent Vaping Warnings: A National Experiment.Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco · 2022Trial
58 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundUse of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) is prevalent among adolescents and young adults, but there has been limited knowledge about health consequences in human populations. We conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of results on respiratory disorders from studies of general-population samples and consider the mapping of these results to findings about biological processes linked to e-cigarettes in controlled laboratory studies.
methodWe conducted a literature search and meta-analysis of epidemiological studies on the association of e-cigarette use with asthma and with COPD. We discuss findings from laboratory studies about effects of e-cigarettes on four biological processes: cytotoxicity, oxidative stress/inflammation, susceptibility to infection and genetic expression.
resultsEpidemiological studies, both cross-sectional and longitudinal, show a significant association of e-cigarette use with asthma and COPD, controlling for cigarette smoking and other covariates. For asthma (n=15 studies), the pooled adjusted odds ratio (aOR) was 1.39 (95% CI 1.28-1.51); for COPD (n=9 studies) the aOR was 1.49 (95% CI 1.36-1.65). Laboratory studies consistently show an effect of e-cigarettes on biological processes related to respiratory harm and susceptibility to illness, with e-cigarette conditions differing significantly from clean-air controls, although sometimes less than for cigarettes.
conclusionsThe evidence from epidemiological studies meets established criteria for consistency, strength of effect, temporality, and in some cases a dose-response gradient. Biological plausibility is indicated by evidence from multiple laboratory studies. We conclude that e-cigarette use has consequences for asthma and COPD, which is of concern for respirology and public health.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.