What to advise to respiratory patients intending to use electronic cigarettes.

Electronic cigarettes (ECs) are being increasingly used as an attractive long-term alternative nicotine source to conventional tobacco cigarettes. This substitution is likely to improve health in regular EC users, and more and more respiratory patients using or intending to use ECs will be seeking professional medical advice. Unfortunately, the public's view of ECs is far from being clear with a great deal of ambiguity around the product and its intended use. Moreover, health-care professionals themselves do not seem to use an evidence-based approach when it comes to informing respiratory patients about ECs and many advise against their use. Evidence-based advice about ECs is provided here with the goal of improving counseling between physicians and their respiratory patients using or intending to use ECs. Regular EC use is unlikely to raise significant health concerns and can lead to health improvement in the respiratory patient who makes the switch from tobacco smoking.