Table 4.
Geometric Means of Inflammatory and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers by Group, Adjusted for Confounders
| Parameter | E-cigarette users (n = 74) |
Cigarette smokers (n = 536) |
Controls (n = 443) |
p* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (95% CI) | Mean (95% CI) | Mean (95% CI) | ||
| hsCRP ng/mL | 1,312.2 (880.8–1,954.7) | 1,879.4 (1,583.2–2,231.1) | 1,893.8 (1,585.1–2,262.7) | 0.27 |
| IL-6 pg/mL | 1.4 (1.2–1.7) | 1.7 (1.5–1.8) | 1.3 (1.2–1.5) | 0.18 |
| sICAM ng/mL | 208.6 (191.5–227.3)a | 254.2 (240.6–268.6)a,b | 209.7 (197.7–222.4)b | 0.02 |
| Fibrinogen mg/mL | 3.1 (2.9–3.3) | 3.3 (3.2–3.4) | 3.2 (3.2–3.3) | 0.59 |
| F2PG2a (8-isoprostane) ng/mL** | 0.5 (0.4–0.5)a | 0.6 (0.5–0.6)a,b | 0.4 (0.4–0.4)b | <0.001 |
*
Adjusted for confounders found in Table 2.
**
F2PG2a was measured in urine samples, but sampling and weights were made to match serum weights.
a
Statistically significant difference between e-cigarette users and cigarette smokers (p ≤ 0.03).
b
Statistically significant difference between cigarette smokers and controls (p ≤ 0.04).
F2PG2a, prostaglandin F2a-8-isoprostane; hsCRP, highly sensitive C-reactive protein; IL-6, interleukin 6; sICAM, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule.