Adults who use electronic cigarettes (vapes) had more than double the risk for developing uveitis than non-users, with elevated risks persisting for up to four years.
This increased risk was observed across all age groups and affected both men and women as well as various ethnic groups.
E-cigarette users had a significantly higher risk for developing uveitis than nonusers (hazard ratio (HR), 2.53; 95% CI, 2.33–2.76), for iridocyclitis (HR, 2.59), unspecified chorioretinal inflammation (HR, 2.34), and retinal vasculitis (HR, 1.95).
The risk for uveitis increased as early as within seven days after smoking an e-cigarette.
“This study has real-world implications as clinicians caring for patients with e-cigarette history should be aware of the potentially increased risk of new-onset uveitis,” the authors wrote.
The study was published online in Ophthalmology.1
Reference
- Hsu AY, Wang Y_H, Hsia N-Y, et al., Risk of uveitis among e-cigarette users: A multi-institutional TriNetX study, Ophthalmology, 2024. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2024.11.008.
