says Dr. Dana Meaney-Delman, incident manager of the CDC's
response to the vaping-related lung injuries.
Experts say that the list of
symptoms associated with the disease is likely to grow and e-cigarette users
who experience these symptoms need immediate medical attention.
"Although more
investigation is needed to determine the vaping agent or agents responsible,
there is clearly an epidemic that begs for an urgent response," David Christiani
of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health writes in an editorial
published Friday in
The New England
Journal of Medicine.
Medical experts and federal health
officials are creating awareness among the general public about the dangers of
vaping and are discouraging the use of these vaping devices.
Death Toll Rises from Mysterious
Vaping-related Lung Disease
Recently, a teenager named
Kevin Boclair (19) is in a medically induced coma after developing severe lung
disease caused by his vaping habit. He was admitted at the Hospital of the
University of Pennsylvania, USA. Doctors say that he may need a double lung
transplant.
Last month, around 215
vaping-related cases were reported.About five people have died in states of Illinois, California,
Indiana, Oregon and Minnesota.
The common cause among all
the patients was found to be that they had used cannabis-derived vaping
products and nicotine-containing products.
The CDC said:
"Lung
illnesses are likely associated with a chemical exposure. But, it is too early
to pinpoint a single product or substance that is common to all cases."
Officials in Illinois and
Wisconsin have investigated about 53 cases - 28 in Wisconsin and 25 in
Illinois. They reported that the vaping history of 41 patients was completely
available and is as follows:
- 80
percent of the patients used products containing tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC)
- 61
percent products had used nicotine
- 7 percent
used cannabidiol (CBD) products
Tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC) is the active ingredient in marijuana. Men with an
average age of 19, who were previously healthy suddenly fell sick for several
days before being hospitalized with respiratory symptoms being most common,
followed by fever,
fatigue, weight loss
and gastrointestinal symptoms.
In some of these cases,
patients either used THC products or nicotine. Patients reported that they have
used 14 different brands of THC products and 13 brands of nicotine products,
all in a wide range of flavors.
What Do Lab Tests Reveal?
In the lab tests, it was
found that
vitamin E acetate was present in a number of
cannabis-containing vaping cartridges, which were submitted by the one's who
fell ill. Health officials said that this oily substance is the 'key focus' of
their investigation.
Mitch Zeller, director of
the FDA's Center for
Tobacco Products, said that the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA)
is analyzing samples for a broad range of substances, as no one substance or compound, including vitamin E
acetate, has been identified in more than 100 samples tested.
"With these increasing
reports," Zeller said, "
if you're thinking of purchasing one of
these products off the street, out of the back of a car, out of a trunk, in an
alley or if you are then going to go home and make modifications to the product
yourself using something that you purchased from some third party or got from a
friend - think twice." Facts and Statistics of
E-cigarettes in U.S.A
- Breathing
vapor can irritate the lungs
- E-cigarettes
have been available in the U.S since 2006
- It is
sometimes used as an aid to help people quit smoking.
- Use of
e-cigarettes among adolescents has skyrocketed in recent years:
- Some 3.6
million middle and high school students used vaping products in 2018
- The FDA
has been warning
that nicotine-induced seizures could be a rare side effect of vaping
- For now,
the outbreak is confined to the United States
Precautions that Need to be
Taken
The CDC warns people not to
use any e-cigarette, as no single product or substance has been definitively
tied to the respiratory illnesses. Also, not to purchase from unauthorized
sources but only from authorized retailers, such as dispensaries in states
where the drug is legal.
While, doctors are treating a disease of
unknown origin, adult smokers who vape nicotine to
quit
smoking should consult their health care provider and use proven
treatments and not e-cigarettes, says the CDC.
Christiani said:
"Efforts should be made
to increase public awareness of the harmful effect of vaping, and physicians
should discourage their patients from vaping." Source: Medindia
