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A Systematic Review on Health Impact of Electronic Cigarettes in South Korea
J Korean Soc Res Nicotine Tob 2024; 15(2): 29-41
Published online June 30, 2024
© 2024 The Korean Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco.

Eunsil Cheon1, Hana Kim1, Naeun Kang1, Susan Park2, Sung-il Cho1,2, Jieun Hwang3*

1Department of Public Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University, Seoul, 2Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, Seoul, 3Department of Health Administration, College of Health Science, Dankook University, Cheonan, Korea
Correspondence to: *황지은
단국대학교 공공보건과학대학 보건행정학과
E-mail: hwang0310@dankook.ac.kr
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5094-6107
Received April 12, 2024; Revised June 5, 2024; Accepted June 16, 2024.
This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, dis-tribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
 Abstract
Background: Our objective was to identify trends in research on electronic cigarettes and propose potential research topics for future investigations in South Korea.
Methods: This study followed the systematic literature review reporting guidelines detailed in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses to assess available research on the health effects of electronic cigarette use among Koreans. Five data sources were utilized to select articles published until June 30, 2023.
Results: This review analyzed 32 articles, including 23 cross-sectional studies, 7 case studies, and 2 clinical trials. Of which, 8 targeted adolescents, 22 targeted adults, 1 targeted both the demographics, and 1 targeted infants. In these studies, electronic cigarette use was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and acute nicotine addiction, leading to cardiac arrest and mortality. Additionally, electronic cigarette use was linked to various health conditions, including periodontal disease, asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, dyslipidemia, obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, and hyperuricemia. Moreover, it was associated with an elevated risk of depression, stress, and suicidal behavior.
Conclusion: To establish consistent scientific evidence for the regulation of electronic cigarettes, multidisciplinary research on usage patterns, associations with various health conditions, and intervention strategies is imperative.
Keywords : Electronic nicotine delivery systems; Systematic review
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