Association of Cigarette–E-Cigarette Transitions With Respiratory Symptom Resolution

Introduction:
This text provides an analysis of the association between cigarette-e-cigarette transitions and respiratory symptom resolution among cigarette-smoking adults with baseline respiratory symptoms. The study utilizes data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study waves 1-5 and employs mixed-effects Poisson models to assess the relationship.

Key Points:

* The study included 5210 (3362 unique) observations with a baseline cough and 5367 (3173 unique) participants with a baseline wheeze.
* Transitioning from cigarettes to e-cigarettes was associated with significantly increased rates of wheeze resolution but not cough resolution compared with persistent smoking.
* Transitioning from smoking to dual use was not associated with respiratory resolution overall, but rates of symptom resolution were 14% lower for cough and 15% lower for wheeze among those who switched to dual use and maintained or increased their smoking intensity.
* Transitioning to nonuse was associated with increased resolution rates for both cough and wheeze.
* The study's findings suggest potential benefits and risks of e-cigarette-assisted smoking cessation.

Main Message:
The study highlights the potential benefits and risks of e-cigarette-assisted smoking cessation. While cigarette users who switch completely to e-cigarettes may experience respiratory symptom improvements, those unable to reduce their smoking intensity may face increased risk of respiratory morbidity. Therefore, future research must balance the potential benefits against the potential risks, including the potential for growing youth e-cigarette use and unknown long-term e-cigarette exposure risks.

Jonathan B Berlowitz, Wubin Xie, Alyssa F Harlow, Hasmeena Kathuria, Emelia J Benjamin, Andrew C Stokes, Association of Cigarette–E-Cigarette Transitions With Respiratory Symptom Resolution, Nicotine & Tobacco Research, Volume 27, Issue 7, July 2025, Pages 1284–1288, https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntae224