E-cigarettes and Associated Medical Burden: For Better and For Worse

Abstract

The harmful effects of smoking cigarettes on human health are well documented; thus various smoking cessation methods have been assessed and new options are currently under development to provide a “better’ alternative to the “worse” one, namely smoking. However, no ideal method of ending or replacing conventional smoking has been developed so far, and actually, none of them has been proven entirely effective or safe. The laxity, or rather the absence of regulations in the first decade of existence of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) allowed their use with prohibited substances instead of nicotine or other substances with detrimental effect, with the emergence of a severe syndrome - e-cigarette and vaping-associated lung injury (EVALI), whose treatment required even lung transplantation in young people without any prior underlying lung disease. This narrative review aims to provide a brief overview of concerns about medical issues associated with e-cigarette use, particularly cardiovascular and respiratory panels. We organized the data in several micro-sections varying from practical aspects of understanding ENDS to clinical issues. To combat tobacco addiction, electronic cigarettes are increasingly widely accepted. A global regulatory framework is required to prevent the emergence of an illicit e-cigarette business with detrimental impacts on health.