Reducing exposure to cigarette smoke is an imperative for public health, and even more so for diabetic patients. Increasingly, combustion-free technologies for nicotine delivery such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products are substituting conventional cigarettes and accelerating the current downward trends in smoking prevalence. However, there is limited information about the long-term health impact in diabetics who use these technologies.
This international randomised controlled trial of type 2 diabetic cigarette smokers will test the hypothesis that following a switch from conventional cigarettes to Combustion-Free Nicotine Delivery Systems (C-F NDS), a measurable improvement in metabolic syndrome (MetS) risk factors and functional parameters will be shown over the course of 2 years.
A total of 576 patients will be randomized (1:2 ratio) to either a control arm (Study Arm A), in which they will be offered referral to smoking cessation programs or to an intervention arm (Study Arm B), in which they will be assigned to C-F NDS use. The primary outcome will be the prevalence of the a difference in MetS score between baseline and 2 years follow-up, with comparison being made between diabetic patients randomized to each arm of the study. Patient recruitment will start in October 2020 and enrolment is expected to be completed by August 2021.
This will be the first study determining the overall health impact of using such technologies in diabetic patients. Data from this study will provide valuable insights into the overall potential of C-F NDS to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in individuals, particularly diabetic patients.
