Electronic Cigarette Use and Myocardial Infarction

BACKGROUND: Current electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) is associated with myocardial infarction, controlling whether the subjects smoke cigarettes. However, no studies have been conducted on subjects who never smoked cigarettes. This study aimed to determine the association between e-cigarette use and myocardial infarction among subjects who have never smoked cigarettes. METHODS: The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data from 2014 to 2021 was used to evaluate the relationship between e-cigarette use and myocardial infarction in subjects who have never smoked cigarettes after adjusting for risk factors, including age, sex, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and obesity/overweight, using logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 139,697 subjects were never users, and 1,237 subjects were current e-cigarette users. E-cigarette users were significantly younger than never users. E-cigarette users were less likely to be female (40% vs. 60%, p <0.01), or have diabetes (3% vs. 10%, p <0.01), have hypertension (11% vs. 32%, p <0.01), have hypercholesterolemia (8% vs. 27%, p <0.01), or be overweight or obese (56% vs. 65%, p <0.01) compared to never users. The current e-cigarette users had a 2.6-fold increase in the odds of having a myocardial infarction (OR 2.62, 95% CI 1.44-4.77; p <0.01) after adjusting for sex, age, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and obesity/overweight. Conclusions: This study suggests that current e-cigarette use increases the risks of cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction and stroke, in subjects who never smoked cigarettes. Further longitudinal studies are needed to confirm the results of this study.