Symptoms COVID 19 Positive Vapers Compared to COVID 19 Positive Non-vapers

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to assess and describe the severity of symptoms reported by Covid-19 positive patients who vaped (smoked e-cigarettes) when compared to those who did not vape or smoke at the time of the diagnosis of Covid-19. Methods: Patients from this study are from a well-characterized patient cohort collected at Mayo Clinic between March 1, 2020 and February 28, 2021; with confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis defined as a positive result on reverse-transcriptase–polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) assays from nasopharyngeal swab specimens. Among the 1734 eligible patients, 289 patients reported current vaping. The cohort of vapers (N = 289) was age and gender matched to 1445 covid-19 positive patients who did not vape. The data analyzed included: date of birth, gender, ethnicity, race, marital status, as well as lifestyle history such as vaping and smoking and reported covid-19 symptoms experienced. Results: A logistic regression analysis was performed separately for each symptom using generalized estimating equations (GEE) with robust variance estimates in order to account for the 1:5 age, sex, and race matched set study design. Patients who vaped and developed Covid-19 infection were more likely to have chest pain or tightness (16% vs 10%, vapers vs non vapers, P = .005), chills (25% vs 19%, vapers vs non vapers, P = .0016), myalgia (39% vs 32%, vapers vs non vapers, P = .004), headaches (49% vs 41% vapers vs non vapers, P = .026), anosmia/dysgeusia (37% vs 30%, vapers vs non vapers, P = .009), nausea/vomiting/abdominal pain (16% vs 10%, vapers vs non vapers, P = .003), diarrhea (16% vs 10%, vapers vs non vapers, P = .004), and non-severe light-headedness (16% vs 9%, vapers vs non vapers, P < .001). Conclusion: Vapers experience higher frequency of covid-19 related symptoms when compared with age and gender matched non-vapers. Further work should examine the impact vaping has on post-covid symptom experience.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Adolescent Mental Health and Substance Use

“…Consistent with the broader literature [ 21 , 22 ], COVID-related stress was associated with increased use of substances, including alcohol, marijuana, and e-cigarettes; the association with the latter substance was strong. The link to e-cigarettes is noteworthy given a recent study showing that vapers experience a higher frequency of COVID-19 symptoms relative to their nonvaping counterparts [ 23 ]. Feeling lonely since the pandemic began was also linked to use of alcohol, marijuana, and hard drugs, even after accounting for prepandemic use of these substances.…”

Short and Long-Term Impact of COVID-19 Infection on Previous Respiratory Diseases

“…Findings in the same line have been found between the consumption of electronic cigarettes (EC) and the infection by COVID-19: Vapers experience higher frequency of COVID-19 related symptoms when compared with age and gender matched non-vapers. 204 …”

Transfer of Metals to the Aerosol Generated by an Electronic Cigarette: Influence of Number of Puffs and Power

“…Although e-cigarette use is often touted as a safer alternative to tobacco combustion, the potential long-term health effects of e-cigarette use are not well understood [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. The rapid increase of e-cigarette use, especially among adolescents, could present itself as an emerging public health concern [ 3 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ], including potential associations with COVID-19 symptoms [ 10 , 11 , 12 ]. Although e-cigarettes are perceived to be safer than traditional combustion cigarettes, a specific health problem associated with e-cigarettes is the long-term exposure of users to potentially toxic metals.…”