A Comparative Study between The Potential Health Risks Associated with Subchronic Smoke Exposure to Electronic Cigarettes and Tobacco Cigarettes

Abd-ElZaher, Manal A.; Abd-ElAleem, Shereen A.; Mossalem, Fadia A.; Osman, Ashraf; Riffai, Rehab A.

doi:10.21608/mjfmct.2013.47717

A Comparative Study between The Potential Health Risks Associated with Subchronic Smoke Exposure to Electronic Cigarettes and Tobacco Cigarettes

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Department of Forensic medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine- El-Minia University, Egypt

² Department of Forensic medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, El-Minia University, Egypt

³ Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, El-Minia University, Egypt

⁴ Department of Clinical pathology, Faculty of Medicine, El-Minia University, Egypt

⁵ Department of Histology, Faculty of Medicine, El-Minia University, Egypt

10.21608/mjfmct.2013.47717

Abstract

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are increasingly used worldwide even though, only rare information is available on their health effects. Hence, the electronic cigarette smoking effects were examined in comparison to the conventional reference cigarette (tobacco cigarettes) using the commercially available cigarettes (Cleopatra), on a fixed puffing regimen based on a subchronic smoke exposure study. A ninety day-exposure study in rats showed marked anemia, with reduced RBCs, WBCs, and platelets count with electronic cigarette smoke. The smoke related clinical pathology changes, revealed disturbed hepatic and renal functions with the electronic cigarettes. The changes included also hypercholesterolemia, acidosis and hyperkalemia, together with hyponatremia and reduced total serum Ca level with the electronic cigarettes. The histopathological findings were of a more pronounced derangement in the lower respiratory tract in rats exposed to electronic cigarette smoke. The hepatic and renal histopathological findings revealed more hemorrhage and degeneration with electronic cigarette smoke. Collectively, the biological effects seen for the smoke of electronically heated cigarettes and conventional cigarettes were comparable with more pronounced toxicological health hazards following subchronic exposure to electronic heated cigarette smoke.

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