The most significant finding of the VapeScan Study was that vaping is associated with higher blood pressure in young adults. After adjusting for age, gender, education, and body mass index (BMI), the study found:
| Group | Systolic BP Increase (mmHg) | 95% Confidence Interval | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vaping/never smoking | +4.79 | 1.83 to 7.75 | Statistically significant |
| Vaping/former smoking | +1.60 | -1.65 to 4.85 | Not significant |
| Dual use (vaping + smoking) | +1.10 | -1.86 to 4.06 | Not significant |
For diastolic blood pressure, the pattern was similar: vaping/never smoking participants had DBP 2.88 mmHg higher (95% CI: 0.54-5.21) than never vaping/never smoking participants.
What this means: The strongest blood pressure signal was in the vaping/never smoking group — people who started vaping without ever having smoked. This is particularly important because this group represents the "pure" vaping effect, without any confounding from prior tobacco smoking. A 4.79 mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure is clinically meaningful: at a population level, every 2 mmHg increase in SBP is associated with approximately 10% higher risk of stroke mortality and 7% higher risk of ischemic heart disease mortality.
Interestingly, the vaping/former smoking and dual use groups did not show statistically significant blood pressure differences compared to the control group. The researchers noted this may reflect smaller sample sizes in these groups, or that former smokers' blood pressure may have already been elevated prior to switching to vaping.
