Radvilė Dobrovolskytė¹, Šarlota Guzovijūtė¹

¹ Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Medical academy, Faculty of Medicine

 

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Smoking rate is increasing rapidly and is one of the biggest threats to current and future world healthcare. Tobacco has a significant effect in pathogenesis of lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic bronchitis and emphysema. In 2007, when electronic cigarettes became commercially available, they have rapidly become very popular and their popularity is still rising. There is still lack of long-term studies which could properly investigate the effects of e-cigarettes on the respiratory system. Cough is one of the most common complaints of smoking patients, it is interesting whether its nature is different between smoking electronic and conventional cigarettes.

Aim: Assessment of exposure with cough related life quality smoking cigarettes and e-cigarettes.

Methods: Data were collected and analyzed from a cohort of 66 (49 men, 17 women) smoking people. Respondents were chosen randomly. A specific anonymous questionnaire and Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) were submitted to the subjects. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Office Excel 2015.

Results: 33 were smoking tobacco cigarettes and 33 e-cigarettes. Average time of smoking cigarettes was 6,3y., 9,4 cigarettes per day. Average time of smoking e-cigarettes was 2,2y., 8,5 times per day.  Evaluating answers from LCQ people who were smoking e-cigarettes evaluated their life quality by 2 points in scale 0-10 (0 meaning ‘no effect in life quality’, 10 ‘major effect in life quality’) and who were smoking regular cigarettes – 5 points. 30% of cigarettes smokers sometimes could not control there cough, 10% of e-cigarettes smokers sometimes felt uncomfortable about their cough. 15% of cigarette smokers often felt worried about their cough and 100% of e-cigarette smokers never felt worried about their cough.

Conclusion: Cough-related life quality in smoking electronic cigarettes and regular cigarettes changed greatly. Coughing attacks appeared significantly often in respondents who smoke regular cigarettes then those who smoke e-cigarettes. E.cigarettes effect on social, physical and psychological domains show better life quality result comparing with regular cigarettes.

Key words: smoking, electronic cigarettes, cough, quality of life.