Introduction:

Electronic cigarettes or nicotine vaporizers are devices that release aerosols containing various substances. In Paraguay, 12.5% of the population uses vaping devices, mostly young people.

Objective:

To determine the prevalence of electronic cigarette use among medical residents and interns at the Hospital de Clínicas in San Lorenzo, Paraguay, in 2024.

Methodology:

A descriptive, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 102 respondents were surveyed out of 300 medical residents and interns in their final year of medical school at the hospital.

Results:

Thirty-four percent smoked electronic cigarettes, 62% were female, and the average age was 29 years; 45% of respondents were from Asunción. The most used type of electronic cigarette was disposable (77%). Regarding frequency of use, 49% reported smoking daily, with less than one year of use prevailing (54%), and anxiety was the most common reason for use (43%). Sixty-nine percent of respondents know that it was harmful to their health. Regarding symptoms, 69% reported no unpleasant effects to date, while 17% reported a worsening of underlying allergic rhinitis.

Conclusions:

Although this study was conducted in a single hospital with a relatively small number of respondents, and there are still few studies available, it is the first study to include the medical population, demonstrating that there is a significant percentage of use among medical professionals and doctors in training. The long-term effects of vaping are not yet well known. It would be important to continue researching and expanding the spectrum of direct and indirect effects of vaping.

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