Author: Akhmetova Aigerim
Editor: Yeskendirbek Ualikhan
Electronic cigarettes (E-cigarettes) are portable electronic vaping devices that produce an aerosol generated when an e-liquid is heated. People who smoke have reported using ES to quit or reduce their smoking frequency, but some organizations, advocacy groups, and policymakers discourage this, citing a lack of evidence of their effectiveness and safety. People who smoke, healthcare professionals and regulators want to know if ES can help people quit smoking and if it is safe to use them for this purpose.
The Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group's specialized registry was searched. The main criteria for assessing the results were abstinence from smoking after at least six months of observation, as well as adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs).
There is moderate certainty evidence that nicotine-supplemented ESs increase smoking cessation rates compared to nicotine-free ES and compared to NRT. NRT is a nicotine replacement therapy, the essence of which is to deliver nicotine to the body without using tobacco, in the form of patches or chewing gum. There was no clear evidence of harm from nicotinic ES, but the longest follow-up was two years, and the total number of studies was small. More research is needed to confirm the extent of the effect, especially with modern EC products.
Sourсe: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD010216.pub4/full
