Study in Use: Vaping Does Not Increase the Risk of Contracting COVID-19

Using e-cigarettes does not make you more susceptible to contracting COVID-19. A group of British scientists has been working to debunk anti-vaping claims, primarily from the United States. Now, to clarify further, a new study published in the Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, titled "E-Cigarette Use and COVID-19 Diagnosis Not Associated," was conducted by five researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, USA, coordinated by Ivana T. Croghan. The purpose of this work was to test the hypothesis that e-cigarette use is associated with an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The sample used included nearly 70,000 patients aged 12 and older who sought help at the Mayo Clinic between September 15, 2019, and November 30, 2020 (69,264 individuals). Thus, the observation period exceeded one year. In fact, starting in mid-September, doctors began recording patients' current or past e-cigarette use as part of routine clinical practice. The average age of the sample was 51.5 years, with over half (62.1%) being female. 11.1% were smokers or vapers, and 5.1% tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.

The results are reassuring. Compared to the general population, the study noted that "patients who only use e-cigarettes are less likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19." In other words, the authors reiterated that e-cigarettes "do not seem to increase susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection." This work also confirmed a fact that has emerged since March 2020: smokers have a reduced risk of contracting this disease, while dual users fall somewhere in between. The researchers stated that, aside from alleviating existing concerns about e-cigarettes, these data also suggest a hypothesis: "Any beneficial effect of traditional smoking on susceptibility is not mediated by nicotine." The Mayo Clinic will conduct further research to assess whether e-cigarette use can mitigate the consequences of COVID-19.