Vaping nearly doubles the risk of heart rhythm problems for kids and young adults.
medRxiv · March 13, 2026 · 10.64898/2026.03.12.26348232
Why it matters
While the focus on vaping usually centers on lung damage, this massive study of over 100,000 patients found an 82% higher risk of heart rhythm issues in people as young as 11. This reveals a startling cardiovascular vulnerability in a population that typically assumes e-cigarettes are less harmful than tobacco.
From the abstract
Background: Vaping among adolescents and young adults (AYA) could affect cardiovascular health. While pulmonary outcomes of vaping are well-documented, the link between vaping and abnormalities of heart rhythm remains unclear. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to test the hypothesis that the risk of heart rhythm abnormalities is increased in AYA who vape. Methods: We used data from the TriNetX network to identify two cohorts of AYA (11 to 24 years old). The first cohort included individu