The VapeScan Study measured two additional cardiovascular markers with unexpected results:
Endothelial Function (fRHI)
CAC Score (Inverse)
Clinical Significance
The study found no association between vaping categories and the Framingham Reactive Hyperemia Index (fRHI), a measure of endothelial function. This means that while blood pressure was higher in vapers, the small blood vessels' ability to dilate was not measurably impaired — at least not at the median 4-year exposure level studied.
For coronary artery calcification (CAC), the study found an inverse association between vaping categories and spatially weighted CAC scores compared to never vaping/never smoking. This means vapers had lower CAC scores than non-vapers. The researchers noted this finding requires further investigation and may reflect the younger age of the vaping groups, shorter exposure duration, or the fact that coronary calcification takes decades to develop and the 4-year median vaping exposure may be insufficient to detect calcification differences.
Important caveat: The inverse CAC finding does not mean vaping protects against coronary calcification. The researchers themselves flagged this as requiring further study. It is likely a confounding effect — coronary calcification takes decades to develop, and the study's median 4-year vaping exposure is too short to see this outcome. The blood pressure findings are the more reliable signal of cardiovascular risk.
