(New Philadelphia, Ohio) – According to new research, adolescents who use e-cigarettes are more likely to have asthma at some point in their life, and using marijuana or smoking cigarettes can make it worse.

This informational series is brought to you by the Tuscarawas County Anti-Drug Coalition.

According to Pulmonology Advisor, electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use has been shown to be associated with lifetime asthma in US adolescents and may become more dangerous when combined with marijuana or cigarette smoking. The information was presented virtually by the American Thoracic Society 2020 virtual meeting that was held from August 5th to August 10th, 2020.

Reports indicate e-cigarettes are now the most commonly used nicotine products among adolescents in the United States. Researchers examined whether e-cigarette use combined with marijuana or cigarette smoking could increase the risk of lifetime asthma. The cross-sectional study was comprised of 21,532 middle and high school students. 5,222 had lifetime asthma and 16,310 were control individuals. Their ages ranged between 12 and 18-years-old. Students participated in the 2015 and 2017 National Youth Risk Behavior Study (YRBS).

Researchers then used self-administered questionnaires to collect information on demographic characteristics, asthma, and use of nicotine vapor production or in combination with marijuana use/cigarette smoking. Researchers determined frequent use of e-cigarettes, marijuana, and cigarette smoking were associated with a 23% to 68% increase in lifetime asthma odds. Additionally, e-cigarette use was associated with 1.31 times increased odds of lifetime asthma.