Blood Pressure Control in Smokers with Arterial Hypertension Who Switched to Electronic Cigarettes

Introduction:
This article reports on a study examining the use of electronic cigarettes (ECs) by smokers with arterial hypertension. The study aimed to investigate long-term changes in resting blood pressure (BP) and level of BP control in hypertensive smokers who quit or reduced substantially their tobacco consumption by switching to ECs.

Key Points:

* The study included 89 regular smokers with a diagnosis of hypertension, 43 of whom reported regular daily use of ECs at two consecutive follow-ups.
* A marked reduction in conventional cigarette consumption was observed in regular daily EC users, while no significant reduction was observed in the control group.
* A significant reduction in median SBP and DBP from baseline was observed at follow-up visit 2 in the EC group, while no significant change in BP was observed in the control group.
* The observed reductions in SBP and DBP were significant when comparing the EC group to the reference group at 12 months.
* No significant change in HR from baseline was noted in both patients’ groups during the course of the study.
* A small but significant increase in body weight was observed in both study groups at the 2nd follow-up visit, but the observed small weight gain was not significant between the EC group and the reference group.
* The overall proportion of patients in the EC group with good BP control increased from 25.6% to 48.8% at follow-up visit 2.
* No severe adverse reactions or acute decompensation in BP were reported with EC use throughout the entire follow-up duration.

Main Message:
The study suggests that regular EC use may aid smokers with arterial hypertension reduce or abstain from cigarette smoking, resulting in improvements in systolic and diastolic BP as well as better BP control. The use of ECs may not only improve the cardiovascular risk profile but also confer an overall health advantage in smokers unable or unwilling to quit. The study supports the potential of ECs as a safer alternative approach to harm-reversal and harm-reduction in smokers at risk of developing arterial hypertension.

Polosa, Riccardo, Jaymin Morjaria, Pasquale Caponnetto, Eliana Battaglia, Cristina Russo, Claudio Ciampi, George Adams, and Cosimo Bruno. “Blood Pressure Control in Smokers with Arterial Hypertension Who Switched to Electronic Cigarettes.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 13, no. 11 (November 11, 2016): 1123. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph13111123.