E-Zigarette und Gesundheit – Pro – Risikoreduktion durch die E-Zigarette als Teil der Sekundärprävention bei pAVK

Smoking is the most important risk factor for peripheral arterial occlusive disease (paod). Smoking cessation is and remains the gold standard in the secondary prevention recommendation. E-cigarettes/tobacco heaters are recommended for smokers who are unable to stop smoking or who do not want it. According to the recommendation of the German Society of Addiction, switching to e-cigarettes/tobacco heaters in this group of smokers, who are not accessible for smoking cessation strategies, can achieve a more than 90 % reduction of pollutant exposure. However, physicians who treat vascular patients in Germany lack fundamental knowledge about the variety of e-cigarettes/tobacco heaters, their handling and their emissions. Therefore, an open and professional discussion among cardiologists, angiologists and vascular surgeons on smoking cessation and harm reduction is necessary.

E-mail surveys assist investigation and response: a university conjunctivitis outbreak

A conjunctivitis outbreak affecting more than 200 individuals occurred on a university campus in Evanston, Illinois, USA, in spring 2002. An investigation was conducted jointly by the Evanston Department of Health and the Illinois Department of Public Health. A combination of e-mail and traditional telephone-based surveys demonstrated that wearing contact lenses was a risk factor for any conjunctivitis and bilateral conjunctivitis, whereas using glasses was protective. Laboratory and epidemiological evidence suggested that the outbreak was caused by a viral pathogen that eluded characterization despite extensive culture and PCR-based laboratory testing. Enhanced laboratory surveillance could help clinicians and public-health officials to identify relevant secular changes in the spectrum of causes of conjunctivitis. During institutional outbreaks, e-mail surveys can help public-health officials to efficiently access information not easily collected by traditional case-control studies, and can provide an effective conduit for providing prevention recommendation, such as the need for improved hand and contact-lens hygiene during outbreaks.