The acute effects of e-cigarettes on lung function
Research type
Research Study
Full title
ACUTE EFFECTS OF E-CIGARETTES AND TOBACCO SMOKING ON LUNG FUNCTION
IRAS ID
198960
Contact name
Elizabeth Sapey
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Birmingham
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Smoking cigarettes is associated with significant health risks including lung cancer, heart disease and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). As well as long term effects, there are also acute effects following the inhalation of cigarette smoke. These include bronchospasm (tightening of the airways) and changes to blood flow around the airways. In keeping with these dangers, advertising, selling and smoking cigarettes and other forms of tobacco in public places and vehicles are restricted by law.
Inhaling E-cigarettes (“vaping”) is becoming more common. In Britain, an estimated 2.6 million people now vape, and e-cigarettes have been used in smoking cessation strategies. Although e-cigarettes cannot be sold to under 18s, they remain unlicensed in terms of contents and little is known about the acute or chronic effects of inhaling their vapours. A recent scientific study has suggested that e-cigarette vapour maybe harmful to human cells, but the effects of vaping on lung function is unknown.
We wish to assess the acute effects of vaping on lung function to determine if there are any negative effects of inhaling e-cigarettes on how the lungs work. This will be a pilot study, as such studies have not been conducted before. We hypothesis that the inhalants in EC will produce the same acute airway and pulmonary vascular changes seen in cigarettes.
We wish to assess the acute effects of “vaping “on lung function in the first hour after their use. We will ask people who currently “vape” with and without COPD to have their lung function assessed before and up to one hour after “vaping” from their own e-cigarette device.
REC name
West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/WM/0105
Date of REC Opinion
4 Apr 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion