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In recent years there has been a proliferation in the practice of vaping to consume nicotine-and cannabis-based products. While evidence on the benefits and risks of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) is evolving, this brief primer highlights important new information about vaping for clinicians, researchers and the public. In 2018, the Canadian government passed legislation to regulate tobacco and vaping products. We discuss evidence comparing e-cigarettes versus nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation and highlight limitations of this body of research. While e-cigarettes are felt to contain fewer toxins than cigarettes, the long-term effects of vaping remain unknown. Emerging data demonstrates associations between vaping and acute and chronic lung disease. We discuss the emergence of an outbreak of severe lung injury associated with e-cigarette use in the United States and similar cases in Canada. Finally, we review evidence demonstrating the growing prevalence of vaping and smoking amongst Canadian youth. RESUMECes dernières années, on a assisté à une prolifération de la pratique de la vaporisation pour consommer des produits à base de nicotine et de cannabis. Alors que les preuves sur les avantages et les risques des cigarettes électroniques (e-cigarettes) évoluent, ce bref aperçu met en lumière de nouvelles informations importantes sur le vaping pour les cliniciens, les chercheurs et le public. En 2018, le gouvernement canadien a adopté une loi pour réglementer les produits du tabac et les produits à base de vapeur. Nous examinons les données comparant les e-cigarettes et les thérapies de remplacement de la nicotine pour le sevrage tabagique et soulignons les limites de ce corpus de recherche. Bien que l’on estime que les e-cigarettes contiennent moins de toxines que les cigarettes, les effets à long terme des vapeurs restent inconnus. Les données émergentes démontrent des associations entre l’inhalation de vapeurs et les maladies pulmonaires aiguës et chroniques. Nous discutons de l’émergence d’une épidémie de lésions pulmonaires graves associées à l’utilisation des e-cigarettes aux États-Unis et de cas similaires au Canada. Enfin, nous passons en revue les preuves démontrant la prévalence croissante des vapeurs et du tabagisme chez les jeunes Canadiens.

Exercise and spirometry testing are associated with coughing, exhaled respiratory droplets and aerosol generation. The risk of SARS-CoV2 transmission associated with these procedures are unknown. We developed a SARS-CoV2-specific consensus guidance document involving key stakeholders for restoring pulmonary diagnostic services, incorporating a patient and community-level risk stratified approach.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease state characterised by airflow limitation that is not fully reversible. The airflow limitation is usually progressive and associated with an abnormal inflammatory response of the lungs to noxious particles or gases. Classically, it is thought to be a combination of emphysema and chronic bronchitis, although only one of these may be present in some people with COPD. The main risk factor for the development and deterioration of COPD is smoking.We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of maintenance drug treatment in stable COPD? What are the effects of smoking cessation interventions in people with stable COPD? What are the effects of non-drug interventions in people with stable COPD? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to April 2010 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).We found 119 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.In this systematic review, we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: alpha(1) antitrypsin, antibiotics (prophylactic), anticholinergics (inhaled), beta(2) agonists (inhaled), corticosteroids (oral and inhaled), general physical activity enhancement, inspiratory muscle training, nutritional supplementation, mucolytics, oxygen treatment (long-term domiciliary treatment), peripheral muscle strength training, psychosocial and pharmacological interventions for smoking cessation, pulmonary rehabilitation, and theophylline.

In most patients, both adults and children, who have a new diagnosis of asthma and whose symptoms are mild but persistent, treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) should be recommended as soon as the diagnosis is made. This is a cost-effective and safe treatment. Patients should be cautioned that their asthma will not be cured with short-term treatment and that their symptoms may recur and their lung function may decline again if treatment is discontinued. If patients are reluctant to use ICS daily for long periods of time, it would be reasonable to delay the onset of treatment with ICS. They could subsequently be managed with intermittent therapy with either ICS or in combination with other medications, such as long-acting beta-agonists. Initial therapy with leukotriene receptor antagonist is not likely to be as effective as initial therapy with ICS. Since treatment adjustments based on eosinophil counts in sputum can reliably predict short-term responses to corticosteroids and help identify the appropriate add-on therapy, it may be useful to use this measurement, when available, to guide intermittent therapy.