E-cigarettes may cause Blood Clotting, shows Study

Presence of nicotine in e-cigarettes causes an immediate rise in the formation of blood clots and deteriorates the ability of small blood vessels to expand and dilate, it also increases the heart rate and blood pressure, as per the research presented on Monday at the European Respiratory Society International Congress. Nicotine increases levels of hormones in the human body such as adrenaline, which results to an increase in the formation of blood clots. 

The small study was conducted by Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. The study analysed a group of 22 women and men aged between 18 and 45 years who were occasional smokers but otherwise healthy. The findings showed that using e-cigarettes containing nicotine created a set of immediate short-term changes in the volunteers. The participants discovered an average 23% increase in blood clots after 15 minutes which came to normal levels after 60 minutes.

The study records an increase in the participant’s heart rates (from an average of 66 beats per minute/bpm to an average of 73bpm) and blood pressure (from an average of 108 millimetres of mercury/mmHg to an average of 117mmHg). Researchers found that the volunteers’ blood vessels became temporarily narrower after they used nicotine-containing e-cigarettes. However, these effects were not seen after volunteers used e-cigarettes that did not contain nicotine.

Gustaf Lyytinen, a clinician at Helsingborg Hospital and researcher at the Institute said, "Our results suggest that using e-cigarettes that contain nicotine have similar impacts on the body as smoking traditional cigarettes. This effect on blood clots is important because we know that in the long-term this can lead to clogged up and narrower blood vessels, and that of course puts people at risk of heart attacks and strokes."