# Effects of Electronic Cigarette Use on Cardiovascular-Disease-Related Inflammatory Biomarkers in Smokers with HIV in a Switching Study in the United States

## TL;DR

This study examines how using electronic cigarettes affects inflammation and coagulation biomarkers in HIV-positive smokers, finding no significant changes after 8 weeks.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into the impact of electronic cigarettes on cardiovascular-related biomarkers in people with HIV who smoke.

## Key findings

- Biomarker levels were high at baseline and did not change significantly after 8 weeks of e-cigarette use.
- Small nonsignificant reductions in sCD163 and CRP levels were observed.
- Nonsignificant increases in IL-6, D-dimer, and sCD14 levels were also noted.

## Abstract

People with HIV (PWH) experience higher rates of cardiovascular events (CVEs) compared with the general population. A substantial body of evidence supports that select biomarkers of inflammation (soluble CD14 [sCD14], soluble CD163 [sCD163], highly sensitive C-reactive protein [hs-CRP], interleukin-6 [IL-6]) and coagulation (D-dimer) are elevated in PWH and related to increased rates of CVEs. Our previous work showed that smoking compared with nonsmoking was associated with significantly elevated sCD14, a biomarker of monocyte activation. We aimed to explore the effect of electronic cigarette (EC) provision on inflammatory biomarkers in PWH who smoked daily and then switched to an EC. Nineteen PWH were enrolled in a pilot study in which an EC and e-liquid were provided weekly for 8 weeks. Blood specimens for inflammatory biomarker analysis were obtained at baseline (BL) and at week 8. Biomarker levels were high at BL and did not differ significantly at week 8. There were small nonsignificant reductions in sCD163 and CRP levels. Nonsignificant increases in IL-6, D-dimer, and sCD14 levels were also noted. Use of ECs for 8 weeks does not appear to significantly increase or decrease inflammatory biomarker levels in SWH. Further research with larger samples and a control group is needed.