Study Shows Vaping Raises Stroke Risks For The Young

Adults who vape could suffer a stroke at least a decade younger than those who smoke tobacco, a new study has found, Dennis Thompson reported for HealthDay News.

Photo Insert: E-cigarette users tended to suffer from a stroke years earlier than their smoking counterparts.

E-cigarette users have a 15% higher risk of stroke at a younger age than traditional tobacco smokers, according to preliminary findings, United Press International (UPI) also reported earlier this month.

"The median age to have a stroke was 48 years of age for e-cigarette users compared to 59 years of age for traditional tobacco smokers," said study co-author Dr. Neel Patel.

He's a research scholar in the public health department at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. People who both smoke and vape tended to have a stroke at age 50 on average, the study showed.

These results show that e-cigarettes aren't as benign as first thought, said Dr. Karen Furie, chair of the neurology department at Brown University's Warren Alpert Medical School.

"Children and young adults start using e-cigarettes and have a perception that they convey less risks of heart disease and stroke," Furie said. "In fact, this study suggests that there may be a detrimental effect that increases risk of stroke."

For the study, researchers analyzed data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey gathered between 2015 and 2018. They identified nearly 80,000 adults with a history of stroke who either smoked or vaped.

Among the people identified, just under 10% vaped, 61% smoked and 30% used both. Stroke was more prevalent among traditional tobacco smokers. Nearly 7% of smokers had suffered a stroke compared with 1% of e-cigarette users and 4% of people who both smoked and vaped.

However, e-cigarette users tended to suffer from a stroke years earlier than their smoking counterparts.

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