BIOMARCADORES DE EXPOSIÇÃO NOS CIGARROS ELETRÔNICOS VERSUS CIGARROS TRADICIONAIS: UMA REVISÃO INTEGRATIVA

Smoking represents a serious threat to public health, being responsible for millions of deaths each year due to tobacco-related diseases. In an effort to reduce the harm associated with conventional cigarettes, alternatives such as electronic cigarettes have emerged and gained popularity in recent years. However, their long-term health effects remain a subject of debate and investigation. One way to assess the risks of tobacco-derived products is through the analysis of biomarkers of exposure, which reflect the presence of toxic substances in the human body. Comparing the levels of these biomarkers between users of conventional and electronic cigarettes can provide important evidence regarding the harm reduction potential of the latter This study aims to carry out an integrative bibliographic review, with articles published between 2019 and 2024, to compare the concentrations of exposure biomarkers in users of electronic and conventional cigarettes. The search was carried out in the MEDLINE (PubMed) and Cochrane Library databases, using descriptors related to traditional cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, biomarkers, and clinical trials. Studies comparing biomarkers of exposure in users of electronic cigarettes with e-liquids and conventional cigarettes were included, while studies focusing exclusively on tobacco heating devices or nicotine replacement therapies not based on aerosolization were excluded. This integrative review showed that replacing conventional cigarettes with electronic ones significantly reduced levels of exposure biomarkers, enabling tobacco harm reduction strategies with potential impacts on decreasing tobacco-related diseases and public health expenditures.