Article: The electronic cigarette: is it a solution?

A. Delrieu

Médecin tabacologue l’OFT (Paris.)
Membre du groupe d’experts ayant contribué au « rapport e-cigarette » remis à la Ministre de la santé en mai 2013.

Abstract

The tobacco industry tried for years to persuade us that smoking was not dangerous for the health while looking for a less dangerous solution to the "cigarette"!
Since 2006 there has existed, in China, thanks to the patent of a pharmacist, Mr Hon Lik, and not, as generally perceived to the tobacco industry, a new mode of inhalation of nicotine: “the electronic cigarette”.
It is still surrounded in controversy, with studies published regularly. There are countries which still forbid it, others which authorize its use in the public places. The UK pharma industry likes to position it as a treatment for chronique smoking and there are those who would like to see it falling in the lap of the tobacco industry. For these reasons, it is difficult for the doctors to have a clear-cut opinion, and do they lean towards rigorous scientific studies for providing information.
During this presentation we are going to review the electronic cigarette trend.
1. How it works?
2. The potential toxic risks
3. Its known effects on the user’s health and in particular on the cardiovascular system
4. Its potential role in helping people to quit smoking cigarettes.
We shall try to clarify the situation for Medical and Health practitioners who are going to be increasingly confronted with questions on this phenomenon which leaves nobody indifferent.
We shall base our presentation on the report about the e-cigarette, submitted by the OFT (French Office for the prevention of Smoking) to the Minister for Health in May 2013, but also on the most recent scientific studies which have appeared on the subject.