Effects of E-Cigarette Use on Voice: An Integrative Literature Review.

OBJECTIVES

E-cigarettes were developed by Hon Lik in China in 2003 and entered the United States market in 2006. Various areas of health widely discuss the effects of e-cigarettes, more recently investigating their effects on the larynx and voice quality. Despite the shortage of studies on voice production, the literature has already reported some effects. This study aimed to conduct a literature review on the effects of e-cigarettes on voice quality and the systems involved in speech production.

STUDY

DESIGN

Integrative literature review.

METHODS

The study searched the databases of the Cochrane Library, Virtual Health Library (VHL), SciELO, and Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE) via PubMed, Embase (Elsevier), and Web of Science/ISI. It included original articles available in full text, published between 2003 and 2023, evaluating the effects of e-cigarettes on the larynx, voice quality, head and neck, and the respiratory system.

RESULTS

The sample comprised 20 articles, mostly indexed in PubMed. The analysis of the publications identified the following topics: effects of e-cigarettes on the voice (n = 3); effects of e-cigarettes on the larynx, focusing on histological studies (n = 4); effects of e-cigarettes on the respiratory system, focusing on voice production systems (n = 4); and effects of e-cigarette, focusing on head and neck cancers (n = 5).

CONCLUSIONS

E-cigarette use can cause inflammation of the epithelium and mucosa of the vocal folds, and their components can cause dryness, compromising vocal homeostasis, increasing the risk of coughing and breathing difficulties, deteriorating the vocal folds, and worsening voice quality. Hence, further robust research on the topic is needed to investigate the short-, medium-, and long-term effects of continuous e-cigarette use and the need for stricter regulation of e-cigarette types and components.