Unique research of electronic nicotine delivery systems launched in Ukraine

Kyiv. Sept 20 Research into electronic nicotine delivery systems has been conducted by by the M.D. Strazhesko Institute of Cardiology in partnership with the NGO New Technologies for Health. The research is being conducted for the first time. The results of the study will increase the level of scientific understanding of the impact of smoking alternatives on the cardiovascular health. This is a pilot comparative six-month study. The trial involves three groups of adult smokers: each group consists of 20 people, who have smoked more than five years and more than 20 cigarettes per day. The study involves three essential medical examinations of the cardiovascular system of the participants – at the start of the study, after three months and after six months after switching from smoking conventional cigarettes to using electronic cigarettes and tobacco heating devices. One of these three groups is a control group, in which the participants continue to smoke their regular cigarettes. "The research of electronic nicotine delivery systems is being conducted for the first time in Ukraine," says Dmytro Rafael, head of the New Technologies for the Health. "Results of the research will help society to understand an alternative to smoking conventional cigarettes." Rafael said the project will finally shed some light on the question whether the long-term use of e-cigarettes and tobacco heating devices is less toxic than smoking regular cigarettes, according to Olena Kvasha, MD, head of the research group. "The study of various indicators will allow us to assess their impact on cardiovascular risk and, hopefully, will become an additional link in understanding the possibilities of using these devices as reduced risk products," Kvasha said. On April 28, 2016 the British Royal College of Physicians encouraged the popularization of electronic cigarettes as an effective measure to overcome tobacco dependence. According to the Royal College of Physicians, a wide usage of electronic cigarettes as an alternative for smoking, supported with the development of an appropriate legislation (which will make it impossible to spread these products among the children), could have a significant positive impact on the health of the UK population. A new study on smoking cessation in UK has been conducted by the University College of London (UCL) and published on September 13, 2016. Results show that around 18 000 people in England quit smoking with a help of electronic cigarettes. For two years there were no statements about serious side effects of electronic cigarettes. "New Technologies for Health" is a public initiative for development and advocacy of solutions for the important and urgent social problems in public health. The organization considers it reasonable to address public health issues to find effective approaches to prevent the causes of morbidity and costly medical treatment. The origin of illness frequency is an abundance of modified risk factors for health, including cardiovascular diseases, which cause the the majority of deaths in Ukraine. Contacts: Anna Leskiv, e-mail: leskiv@newhealthtech.org.ua