A study sponsored by the CDC and other federal agencies surveyed people from all 50 states in 2016. They asked about health-related behaviors, like smoking, and whether respondents had been diagnosed with any health problems. 66,795 of the 400,000+ respondents indicated that they had used e-cigarettes at least once. Compared with non-users, vape users had a 71% percent higher risk of stroke, 59% percent higher risk of heart attack and 40% higher risk of heart disease.
The findings of the study will be presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference in Honolulu on February 6, 2019.
The author of the study Dr. Paul Ndunda , is an assistant professor at the School of Medicine at the University of Kansas in Wichita. He noted, "There's a certain notion that e-cigarettes are harmless, but this study and previous other studies show that while they're less harmful than normal cigarettes, their use still comes with risks."
Data indicates that e-cigarette use among high school teens increased by 900 % between 2011 and 2015. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that in 2018, more than 3.6 million young people in the U.S., including 1 in 5 high school students, were users of e-cigarettes.
While scientists can't confirm how e-cigarettes increase the risk of disease, researchers think that e-cigarettes could be contributing to the gradual buildup of fatty deposits in arteries and they may be close to detecting a link between increased risk for heart attacks and strokes and e-cigarette use because of a more immediate effect on the cardiovascular system.
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