E-cigarette Use and Disease Outcomes in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases: A Case-Control Study

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Research
• Public Health & Vaping

Background:

• Traditional cigarette smoking negatively impacts Crohn's disease (CD) outcomes.
• E-cigarette use has significantly increased globally over the last decade.
• The effects of nicotine-containing e-cigarettes on CD and ulcerative colitis (UC) are not well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between nicotine-containing e-cigarette use and disease outcomes in patients with IBD.
• To compare outcomes between IBD patients who currently use e-cigarettes and those who do not.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective case-control study matching 127 current e-cigarette users with 251 non-users.
• Primary outcome: composite of new biologic initiation, biologic switch, or IBD-related hospitalization/surgery over 2 years.
• Multivariable models adjusted for relevant covariates.

Main Results:

• Current e-cigarette users were younger and more likely to have had prior IBD-related surgery.
• No significant association was found between current e-cigarette use and adverse outcomes in CD (OR 0.82) or UC (OR 1.05).
• No differences were observed in former or current smokers.

Conclusions:

• Current e-cigarette use was not linked to worse disease outcomes in IBD patients.
• Larger studies, especially on new vaping initiators, are required for definitive conclusions.
• Discouraging vaping initiation is advised due to general health concerns.