Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37738584›Full record

ArticleQJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians2023

The Emerging Cloud: a survey of vapers, their health and utilization of healthcare within the UK.

L J Sund, P I Dargan, J R H Archer, M S Blundell, D M Wood

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 33% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

L J SundSt Thomas' Hospital , Department of Emergency Medicine, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's Health Partners, Westminster Bridge Rd, London SE1 7EH, UK.
P I DarganSt Thomas' Hospital , Department of Clinical Toxicology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's Health Partners, Westminster Bridge Rd, London SE1 7EH, UK.
J R H ArcherSt Thomas' Hospital , Department of Clinical Toxicology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's Health Partners, Westminster Bridge Rd, London SE1 7EH, UK.
M S BlundellSt Thomas' Hospital , Department of Emergency Medicine, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's Health Partners, Westminster Bridge Rd, London SE1 7EH, UK.
D M WoodSt Thomas' Hospital , Department of Clinical Toxicology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's Health Partners, Westminster Bridge Rd, London SE1 7EH, UK.
St Thomas' Hospital · GBKing's College London · GB

Funding

Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug AddictionUnited Nations Office on Drugs and CrimeWorld Health Organisation
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRecent work in the UK estimated the prevalence of current cannabinoid-based vaping to be higher than in the USA, a factor previously associated with e-cigarette or vaping-associated lung injury (EVALI). Research in the USA has demonstrated that attendances to emergency departments relating to e-cigarettes began to rise before the EVALI outbreak, suggesting that vapers also experience milder forms of vaping-related illness.

aimQuantify symptom prevalence and healthcare utilization amongst current UK vapers.

designVoluntary online survey of individuals aged 16 and over within the UK.

methodsAnonymized data were collected on demographics, vaping/smoking status and vaping substances used. Current vapers were asked about the presence of 10 prevalent symptoms from previous US EVALI case series, healthcare attendances and diagnoses given. Risk-ratios were calculated to compare the likelihood of symptoms and attendances between substances.

resultsA total of 2477 complete responses were analysed. In all, 397 respondents were current vapers. Symptom prevalence within the previous 12 months ranged from 3.8% to 30.5% (bloody sputum, cough). Healthcare attendances per symptomatic respondent ranged from 0.1 to 1.4 (bloody sputum, shortness of breath). Current vapers of cannabinoid-based products (alone/in combination) had the most attendances per symptomatic respondent for 9/10 symptoms and were more likely to report symptoms aside from 'cough' (nicotine-free e-liquids [risk ratio = 1.7]). Clinicians reportedly never diagnosed vaping-related illness.

conclusionsUK vapers experience symptoms previously reported in EVALI cases for which they also seek healthcare. Users of cannabinoid-based products were more likely to report symptoms and accounted for a higher healthcare burden. UK vapers may also experience vaping-related illness that does not meet EVALI case criteria.

Indexed as

CannabinoidsElectronic Nicotine Delivery SystemsLung InjuryDelivery of Health CareHumansSmokersSurveys and QuestionnairesUnited KingdomCannabinoids

Identifiers

PMID37738584
PMCPMC10753409
OpenAlexW4386946753

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.