E-cigarette vapor can reduce cough reflex sensitivity

A new study has claimed that single use of an e-cigarette can diminish the sensitivity of cough reflex.

In the study, American College of Chest Physicians researchers tested 30 adult non-smokers with no history of asthma or respiratory diseases, and used cough tests to determine how e-cigarettes affect the cough reflex.

Each subject inhaled 30 puffs of an electronic cigarette, which contained nicotine in a vehicle of distilled water.

After fifteen minutes of the e-cigarette 'vaping' session, the subjects were tested again, using the Capsaicin cough challenge and then tested again after 24 hours.

The results showed a significant decrease in cough reflex sensitivity within the subjects, as compared with their baseline levels.

The authors found that nicotine was probably responsible for the effect on the cough reflex and suggested that nicotine had an immediate stimulation of the cough reflex and a delayed inhibition.

The study is published in the Journal Chest.