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Link found between e-cigarette use and early onset of asthma in adults
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
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Researchers from UTHealth Houston reported a significant association between e-cigarette use and earlier age of asthma onset in U.S. adults, findings published in the journal JAMA Network Open.
Led by first author Adriana Perez, PhD, MSc, professor of biostatistics and data science at the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, the study found that adults who were asthma-free at baseline and reported using e-cigarettes in the past 30 days had a 252% increased risk of developing asthma later in life.
"While previous studies have reported that e-cigarette use increases the risk of asthma, our study was the first to examine the age of asthma onset," said Perez, who also works at the Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living at the School of Public Health. "Measuring the potential risk of an earlier age of asthma onset due to e-cigarette use in the past 30 days may help people avoid starting use or motivate them to quit."
The research team analyzed secondary data from the Tobacco and Health Assessment Study, a national longitudinal study of tobacco use and its health effects among adults and youth in the United States.
"The study findings highlight the need for further research, particularly on the impact of e-cigarette use on youth and its association with early-onset asthma and other respiratory diseases," Perez said.
"This also highlights the importance of modifying screening guidelines to include recent e-cigarette use, which may lead to earlier detection and treatment of asthma, reducing morbidity and mortality associated with the disease."
Perez noted that the study highlights the need to address asthma, which costs the world $300 billion annually in lost school or work days, deaths, and medical expenses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tobacco regulation, prevention and intervention campaigns, and cessation programs are needed to prevent early-onset asthma from e-cigarette use, the authors wrote.