NEW YORK: A comprehensive study by a reputable academic medical organization in the United States did not find evidence linking vaping and Covid-19 diagnosis, based on the health records of nearly 70,000 patients, making it one of the largest studies of its kind to date.

The study, called 'Electronic Cigarette Use Is Not Associated with Covid-19 Diagnosis,' was conducted by researchers from Mayo Clinic, reviewed by The Institutional Review Board and published in prestigious medical journals.

'In contrast to the few prior studies that explored the association of e-cigarette use and Covid-19, we find no evidence that current or former e-cigarette users are more likely to be diagnosed,' the authors of the study say.

Authored by Thulasee Jose, Ivana Croghan, J. Taylor Hays, Darrell Schroeder and David Warner of Mayo Clinic, the analysis tested the hypothesis that e-cigarette use was associated with an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients seeking medical care.

Compared with these previous investigations, the Mayo Clinic study analyzed clinical cohorts and used self-reported e-cigarette use data that were confirmed and documented in electronic health records by a clinician. Covid-19 diagnosis in the Mayo Clinic study was also confirmed using a diagnostic polymerase chain reaction test.

The Mayor Clinic research followed a near-ideal design for detecting whether and what types of nicotine consumption may lead to elevated risk of a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Covid-19 diagnosis was based on a validated institutional registry. The study also employed logistic regression models to assess whether current e-cigarette use was associated with an increased risk of Covid-19 diagnosis.

Following two regression models, authors of the study say that e-cigarettes do not appear to increase susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection. 'Patients who used only e-cigarettes were not more likely to have a Covid-19 diagnosis, whereas those who used only cigarettes had a decreased risk,' the study says.