Abstract and Introduction
Introduction
An estimated 19% of all American adults, 43.8 million people, smoke cigarettes. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Smoking cessation is known to rapidly reduce the associated health risks. Many smoking cessation tools are available on the market, including nicotine replacement therapy, buproprion, varenicline, and behavioral therapy. Patients have begun to use electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) for nicotine delivery. Because of the deadly nature of smoking, the use of e-cigarettes as an aid in smoking cessation needs serious consideration, and physicians need to be informed about their use.
More than 250 companies produce e-cigarette models in the United States and the revenue from e-cigarettes surpassed $1 billion in 2013 and is forecast to exceed $3 billion in 5 years. Although e-cigarettes do not burn tobacco, they do simulate the visual, sensory, and behavioral aspects of smoking. e-Cigarettes are battery-operated devices that vaporize a liquid solution. Within the e-cigarette's solution, nicotine or other aromas and humectants (usually propylene glycol) may be dissolved. When the user inhales, the heating element warms the device, causing the humectant to aerosolize so that water vapor accumulates in a fog of water vapor smoke. Nicotine, additives, and flavorings are carried with the aerosol into the respiratory tract.