New Study: Vaping Raises Heart Failure Risk 19%
A new study from the American College of Cardiology (link to study) reports that people who vape or use e-cigarettes are much more likely to develop heart failure compared with individuals who have never used them.
“More and more studies are linking e-cigarettes to harmful effects and finding that it might not be as safe as previously thought,” Dr. Yakubu Bene-Alhasan, a resident physician at MedStar Health in Baltimore and the study’s lead author said. “The difference we saw was substantial. It’s worth considering the consequences to your health, especially with regard to heart health.”
Vaping Raises Heart Failure Odds
Data included information from more than 175,000 participants who were an average of 52 years old (60.5% female). Of those in the sample, 3,242 participants developed heart failure with a median follow-up time of 45 months. The results indicate that those who used e-cigarettes at any point were 19% more likely to develop heart failure compared with those who had not used them. The research team found that the participants’ age, sex, or current smoking status had no effect on their likelihood of developing heart disease.
The new study builds upon previous research, which has also shown links between e-cigarette use and risks associated with developing heart failure. However, this is the first study to successfully establish a direct link between e-cigarette use and vaping.
“I think this research is long overdue, especially considering how much e-cigarettes have gained traction,” Dr. Bene-Alhasan said. “We don’t want to wait too long to find out eventually that it might be harmful, and by that time a lot of harm might already have been done.”
Nearly one in 20 U.S. adults use e-cigarettes, and one in three of those users vape daily, according to the American College of Cardiology. More than one in five high school students use e-cigarettes regularly and more than 2.8 million, or 10 percent, of U.S. middle and high school students reported using e-cigarettes, with 89.4 percent of those youths using flavored e-cigarettes, according to the 2023 National Youth Tobacco Survey.
