Centro per la Prevenzione e Cura del Tabagismo (CPCT), Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy.
BMC Public Health. 2011 Oct 11;11:786. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-11-786.
Cigarette smoking is a tough addiction to break. Therefore, improved approaches to smoking cessation are necessary. The electronic-cigarette (e-Cigarette), a battery-powered electronic nicotine delivery device (ENDD) resembling a cigarette, may help smokers to remain abstinent during their quit attempt or to reduce cigarette consumption. Efficacy and safety of these devices in long-term smoking cessation and/or smoking reduction studies have never been investigated.
In this prospective proof-of-concept study we monitored possible modifications in smoking habits of 40 regular smokers (unwilling to quit) experimenting the 'Categoria' e-Cigarette with a focus on smoking reduction and smoking abstinence. Study participants were invited to attend a total of five study visits: at baseline, week-4, week-8, week-12 and week-24. Product use, number of cigarettes smoked, and exhaled carbon monoxide (eCO) levels were measured at each visit. Smoking reduction and abstinence rates were calculated. Adverse events and product preferences were also reviewed.
Sustained 50% reduction in the number of cig/day at week-24 was shown in 13/40(32.5%) participants; their median of 25 cigs/day decreasing to 6 cigs/day (p < 0.001). Sustained 80% reduction was shown in 5/40(12.5%) participants; their median of 30 cigs/day decreasing to 3 cigs/day (p = 0.043). Sustained smoking abstinence at week-24 was observed in 9/40(22.5%) participants, with 6/9 still using the e-Cigarette by the end of the study. Combined sustained 50% reduction and smoking abstinence was shown in 22/40 (55%) participants, with an overall 88% fall in cigs/day. Mouth (20.6%) and throat (32.4%) irritation, and dry cough (32.4%) were common, but diminished substantially by week-24. Overall, 2 to 3 cartridges/day were used throughout the study. Participants' perception and acceptance of the product was good.
The use of e-Cigarette substantially decreased cigarette consumption without causing significant side effects in smokers not intending to quit (http://ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT01195597).
吸烟是一种难以戒除的习惯。因此，需要寻求更有效的戒烟方法。电子烟是一种电子尼古丁输送装置（ENDS），由电池供电，外形类似香烟，可能有助于吸烟者在尝试戒烟或减少吸烟量时保持戒断状态。但这些设备在长期戒烟和/或减少吸烟量研究中的疗效和安全性尚未得到研究。
在这项前瞻性概念验证研究中，我们监测了 40 名不愿戒烟的习惯性吸烟者在使用“Categoria”电子烟时吸烟习惯的可能变化，重点是减少吸烟量和戒烟。研究参与者被邀请总共参加 5 次研究访问：基线、第 4 周、第 8 周、第 12 周和第 24 周。在每次访问时都测量了产品使用情况、吸烟量和呼出的一氧化碳（eCO）水平。计算了吸烟量减少和戒烟率。还审查了不良事件和产品偏好。
在第 24 周时，有 13/40（32.5%）的参与者持续减少了 50%的每日吸烟量，他们的中位数从 25 支/天减少到 6 支/天（p<0.001）。5/40（12.5%）的参与者持续减少了 80%的吸烟量，他们的中位数从 30 支/天减少到 3 支/天（p=0.043）。9/40（22.5%）的参与者在第 24 周时持续戒烟，其中 6 人在研究结束时仍在使用电子烟。40 名参与者中有 22 人（55%）同时持续减少 50%的吸烟量和戒烟，每日吸烟量总体减少 88%。口腔（20.6%）和喉咙（32.4%）刺激，干咳（32.4%）较为常见，但在第 24 周时明显减少。总的来说，整个研究期间每天使用 2 到 3 个烟弹。参与者对产品的看法和接受度良好。
在不打算戒烟的吸烟者中，电子烟的使用显著减少了吸烟量，且没有引起显著的副作用（http://ClinicalTrials.gov 编号：NCT01195597）。
