A NEW study suggests that young adults who use e-cigarettes may experience changes in lung ventilation distribution, potentially indicating early small airway impairment.
Researchers assessed lung function in 93 healthy young adults aged 18–24 years, comparing 41 individuals with self-reported e-cigarette use to 38 unexposed participants who had never used e-cigarettes, tobacco, or cannabis. E-cigarette exposure was classified into three categories: ever-exposed, daily use, and puff frequency (minimal, moderate, or heavy). Lung function was evaluated using the multiple-breath washout test, with ventilation distribution reported as lung clearance index (LCI).
Results showed that e-cigarette users had higher LCI values than non-users, suggesting impaired ventilation distribution. The mean difference in LCI for any e-cigarette use compared to non-users was 0.15 (95% CI: −0.004–0.31). Among daily users, the mean difference was 0.10 (95% CI: −0.08–0.28), while heavy users showed the most pronounced effect, with a mean difference of 0.22 (95% CI: 0.03–0.41). Nearly all exposed participants (94.5%) used flavoured e-liquids, and 93.5% reported nicotine-containing products.
These findings suggest that LCI could serve as a biomarker for detecting early e-cigarette-related lung function changes, warranting further investigation into long-term respiratory effects.
Ada Enesco, EMJ
Reference
Stanojevic S et al. Association between e-cigarette exposure and ventilation homogeneity in young adults: a cross-sectional study. Eur Respir J. 2025;65(3):2401675.
