Mysterious Vaping Disease

Several people have been diagnosed with a mysterious lung disease related to vaping. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) announced there are more than 450 possible cases, with a total of four confirmed consequent deaths. The disease is under investigation in 33 states.

A good proportion of those afflicted are teens or young adults who were previously healthy. All patients report using a vaping device of some kind before they got sick.

The cause of the disease is still unknown as experts try to identify any commonalities between all of the cases. So far, no device, product, or substance has been tied to all of the cases. Many patients report using e-cigarettes to vape marijuana products, while some report using them for regular vape juices. Officials say the likely cause is “chemical exposure,” although they haven’t identified what exactly that chemical is.

It has been reported that a substance called vitamin E acetate has been identified in many of the marijuana products belonging to those afflicted, including vitamin E acetate, an oil derived from vitamin E. The FDA is now analyzing more than 120 samples collected from all over the country for a wide range of chemicals. 

It should be noted that simply identifying a common chemical or substance does not mean they have identified a cause. There may be many factors, not just an underlying common chemical.

A preliminary report published in the New England Journal of Medicine about the first 53 cases in Illinois and Wisconsin has been released as well. 83% of the cases were male, with a median range of 19 years old. 94% of them had been hospitalized. More than half of them were put into an intensive care unit, and about a third of them needed to be intubated and mechanical breathing support.

Almost all of the patients experienced respiratory symptoms such as shortness of breath. 81% of them had gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting and nausea. All of them had general symptoms such as fever, weight loss, or fatigue.

Another report was focused on lipoid pneumonia, which is a variation of pneumonia in which can occur when lipids or oils get into the lungs. It is reportedly a very rare diagnosis, but there have been a significant number of them recently. Whether the oils in the lungs came from the e-cigarettes, the body, or somewhere else entirely, is up for debate.

Following the outbreak and announcements from the CDC, there has been some backlash against the lack of regulations on vapes and vape products. The Acting Commissioner of the FDA Ned Sharpless is under attack and being pressured to tighten the regulations on e-cigarettes and flavors within the next few days or resign.