Abstract 9921: E-cigarette Use and Markers of Endothelial Function in Diverse Young Adults From New York City: The VapeScan Study

Abstract

Introduction: Compared to traditional tobacco use, the cardiovascular effects of e-cigarette use, or vaping, an increasing behavior especially among young adults, are poorly understood. The ongoing VapeScan Longitudinal Study aims to determine the effects of vaping on participants’ endothelial health and other subclinical markers. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that e-cigarette use (alone or in combination with smoking), compared to never using e-cigarettes or smoking products, is associated with an adverse profile in markers of endothelial health in a diverse cohort of healthy young adults. Methods: We recruited 132 participants, aged 18-49 and residing in the greater New York area, between May 2021 and May 2022. Participants who were pregnant, had a history of cardiovascular or respiratory disease, smoked but did not vape, or formerly vaped, were excluded. Endothelial health was assessed via endothelium-dependent vasodilation using an EndoPAT2000 machine. Reactive Hyperemia Index (RHI) and Framingham RHI (fRHI) values were computed from the results. Participants missing EndoPAT data (n=3) were excluded from analysis, leaving 129 participants (17 vaping/never smoking, 19 vaping/former smoking, 24 vaping/smoking (dual use), and 69 never vaping/never smoking). Results: Participants’ median age was 26 years and 61% were female. Participants classified as vaping/never smoking and dual users were younger than the other groups (Table). Median levels of RHI and fRHI were lowest for dual users, although the differences across the four groups were not statistically significant (one-way ANOVA p-value = 0.27 for RHI and 0.10 for fRHI). Participants’ vaping/smoking status was not associated with RHI or fRHI in linear regression models adjusted for age and sex. Conclusions: Preliminary findings from the VapeScan Study support that subclinical measures of endothelial function are a promising tool to help identify early effects of tobacco product use in young adults.