Cardiovascular Effects Of Electronic Cigarettes In Modern-Day Youth Of Pakistan’: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Background: Significant public health impairment stems / derives from the highly exponential rise of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) or electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) among adolescents and young adults globally and locally. Despite aggressive marketing framing them as harmless or safer alternatives to traditional smoking, clinical evidence highlights severe acute and chronic pathologies.

Problems in Pakistan:

In Pakistan, urbanized expansion, targeted digital marketing, lax regulatory frameworks, and widespread misconceptions of safety have led to a concerning vaping epidemic among the modern youth. Recent data reveals alarming prevalence rates, with up to 49.1 % of collegegoing teenagers (ages 16–19) in certain cohorts engaging in e-cigarette use.

Cardiovascular Risks: Traditional two dimensional (2D) models and early perceptions overlooked the superior complex, multi systemic vascular damage caused by vaping. Ecigarette aerosols, containing concentrated nicotine, heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, and reactive aldehydes, trigger systemic oxidative stress, sympathomimetic acceleration, sustained endothelial injury, and accelerated arterial hardness.

Objective: This narrative review details the growing and nourishing epidemiological trends across major Pakistani hubs and points, contrasts the physiological harm of traditional combustible smoking versus vaping, breaks down specific biomolecular mechanisms driving cardiotoxicity, and outlines the urgent clinical and regulatory steps necessary to stop long term cardiovascular mortality in the country's youth.