Abstract Rationale E-cigarette use among adolescents has risen globally, raising concerns about respiratory health. Evidence suggests a link between e-cigarette use and bronchial symptoms, but quantitative synthesis focusing on chronic bronchitis is limited. This study aimed to systematically review the association between e-cigarette use and bronchitis symptoms in adolescents and to perform a meta-analysis on studies reporting chronic bronchitis. Methods A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar was conducted to identify studies evaluating the association between e-cigarette use and bronchitis symptoms in adolescents. Data on study characteristics, outcomes, and risk of bias were extracted which was independently performed by two authors and validated by a third. Data synthesis and meta-analysis were conducted using Python 3.13, with odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) pooled via a random-effects model. Between-study heterogeneity was assessed using Tau², Q-statistic, and I², with results visualized in forest plots. Risk of bias was assessed across studies. Results Of 288 records identified, 149 remained after duplicate removal. Following full-text screening, 13 studies were included in the narrative synthesis, and 4 studies reporting chronic bronchitis were extracted for meta-analysis. Meta-analysis showed that e-cigarette use was associated with increased odds of chronic bronchitis among adolescents (pooled OR = 1.691; 95% CI: 1.129–2.533). Between-study variance was Tau² = 0.15912, with significant heterogeneity (Q = 53.921, df = 3, I² = 94.44%). Narrative synthesis of other studies indicated that e-cigarette use was associated with chronic cough, bronchitis, and pneumonia, with many adolescents reporting dry cough even if criteria for chronic cough or chronic bronchitis were not met. Conclusions E-cigarette use in adolescents is associated with higher odds of chronic bronchitis and other respiratory symptoms, including chronic and dry cough. These findings underscore the need for preventive strategies and public health interventions to reduce e-cigarette use in this population. This abstract is funded by: None
Timshina et al. (Fri,) studied this question.