Summary
Introduction:
This text is a commentary on a study examining the effectiveness and safety of nicotine patches versus electronic cigarettes (ECs) for smoking cessation in pregnant women. The study found that ECs might help pregnant women quit smoking, and their use appears to be as safe as the use of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) during pregnancy.
Key Points:
* The study is a randomized controlled trial of 1,140 pregnant women who smoked and were randomly assigned to use nicotine patches or ECs.
* The primary outcome of the study was validated prolonged abstinence at the end of pregnancy, and the study found no significant difference between the two groups.
* however, self-reported abstinence at the end of pregnancy was significantly higher in the EC arm (20.7% versus 13.7%, p=0.002).
* The study also found that women using ECs were more likely to use them and for longer periods than those using NRT.
* There were no significant differences in mean birthweight or rates of adverse birth outcomes between the two groups, except for a higher rate of low birthweight (<2.5kg) in the NRT group.
* The study suggests that ECs may reduce the risk of having a low-birth-weight baby compared to NRT use during pregnancy.
* The study was funded by the National Institute of health Research, health Technology Programme.
Main Message:
The main message of this text is that ECs might help pregnant women quit smoking, and their use during pregnancy appears to be as safe as the use of NRT. In countries where stop-smoking advice includes a recommendation to switch to ECs, such a recommendation can be extended to pregnant smokers. however, further studies are needed to confirm the safety and effectiveness of ECs for smoking cessation in pregnant women.
Citation
Pesola F, Phillips-Waller a, Przulj D, Myers Smith K, hajek P. Can electronic cigarettes help pregnant smokers quit, and are they as safe to use in pregnancy as nicotine replacement treatments? Clinical and translational medicine. 2022;12(9):1. doi:10.1002/ctm2.1064
