Introduction: Recent trends demonstrate increased E-cigarette/vaping usage amongst adolescents, despite known adverse health effects. The existing literature is limited regarding the prevalence of E-cigarette use in adolescents with chronic lung conditions who may be at highest risk, such as cystic fibrosis (CF) and primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of E-cigarette use among adolescents with CF and PCD.

Method: This was a quality improvement project conducted between October 2022 and February 2023 for adolescents aged 12-18 years with CF or PCD at SickKids Hospital, Toronto Canada. Adolescents were screened during regularly scheduled visits to the CF and PCD clinics. Existing clinic templates that probed for cigarette smoking were modified to specifically inquire about E-cigarette use.

Results: 36 patients were included in the analysis (21 CF and 15 PCD). There was no significant difference between groups for female gender (48% vs 67%, p=0.26) or age at screening; 14.1 years (1.9) vs 14.2 (1.6), for CF versus PCD, respectively. Rates of E-cigarette use were higher in adolescents with PCD compared to CF (4/15 (27%) vs 1/21 (5%), p=0.06). Vaping use was mostly daily or several times per week and mostly with friends or at school. All patients who screened positive for e-cigarette usage had not previously screened positive when assessed for traditional cigarette smoking.

Conclusion: E-cigarette use is more common among adolescents with PCD compared to CF. Clinicians must specifically inquire about E-cigarette usage to provide necessary supports. Further studies assessing the clinical impact of E-cigarettes in CF and PCD are needed.