Cardiovascular Reactivity to a Psychosocial Stress in Individuals who use E-cigarettes and Healthy Controls

E-cigarette use has increased, especially among young adults. It is known that smoking cigarettes can impact stress reactivity. Cardiovascular reactivity to stress is an independent predictor of hypertension development. However, the effects of regular e-cigarette use on cardiovascular reactivity to stress are unclear. PURPOSE: Investigate cardiovascular reactivity to psychosocial stress in individuals who use e-cigarettes. METHODS: 29 healthy adult participants (8 individuals who use e-cigarettes and 21 healthy controls) were instrumented with an ECG vest and an automated brachial blood pressure cuff. Our protocol consisted of a 5-min baseline, followed by Trier social stress test (TSST) (5-min speech preparation, followed by a 5-min speech) and a 15-minute recovery. Heart rate, heart rate variability, respirations, and blood pressure, were measured continuously across baseline, TSST, and recovery phases, along with subjective stress ratings. To avoid speech-related artifacts, physiological variables were assessed during non-speaking stable portions of the experiment. Variables of interest were assessed using a 2-way ANOVA, if a significant GroupXTime effect was detected post-hoc analysis were done. (* = p50 ms (pNN50) and diastolic arterial pressure. Individuals who regularly use e-cigarettes had lower pNN50 at baseline (E-Cig vs. Control; 23.9±17.1 vs. 66±22.5* %). Individuals who regularly use e-cigarettes also exhibited higher diastolic arterial pressure at baseline (77.6±7.9 vs 70.7±7.2* mmHg) speech preparation (82.4±8.4 vs. 75.5±8* mmHg), and recovery (81±5.7 vs. 73.1±8.2* mmHg) compared to controls. CONCLUSION: Individuals who regularly use e-cigarettes exhibit reduced heart rate variability at rest and higher diastolic arterial pressure at baseline and throughout the protocol. Indicating that individuals who use e-cigarettes may be at greater risk for both acute and chronic hypertension.