E-cigarettes have killed four people and injured another 450 in the United States. The mysterious disease that appeared a week ago in America has already affected 33 states, and the cases continue to grow. The Centers for Disease Control urges people to stop using e-cigarettes.
So far, 215 cases have been officially confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and a more in-depth investigation into the case has begun. Researchers from Harvard University revealed that the new epidemic disease is associated with the use of electronic cigarettes, in particular the so-called vapes ( vape ), with the data published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). In many, but not all, of the cases, THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, was detected in the patients, as well as nicotine. The fourth death associated with the new disease was confirmed Friday by Minnesota health officials.
In most cases, the disease starts with shortness of breath and chest pain, progressing with cough, vomiting, fatigue, diarrhea, fever, and weight loss. Patients with an advanced process are admitted to a hospital with complicated pneumonia.
One of the patients, eighteen-year-old Adam Hergenrider, was hospitalized last week with symptoms of the new disease, which initially appeared to be flu-like. According to doctors, on X-ray, his lungs looked like those of an elderly man in his seventies.
He has been using e-cigarettes for the past two years, starting with mango and peppermint-scented e-liquids and then switching to cannabis refills. Before even getting a chest X-ray, his oxygenation was so low that he had to be put on oxygen, and then doctors started a course of antibiotics and corticosteroids. His condition is improving, but doctors warn that his lungs will not improve for months. However, he is lucky and is recovering.
However, another patient from the same state has died. Two other deaths were reported Friday in Indiana and Minnesota, and the fourth was from Oregon. Many other patients required the induction of medical coma and artificial ventilation. Some of them require a lung transplant.
According to the Harvard researchers, who described the cases as a new disease, it is too new and unstudied to know what the long-term consequences will be. Doctors do not rule out permanent irreversible lung damage. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that in most, but not all, cases the patients used various nicotine-containing refills with different flavors, as well as cannabis. Doctors also call for an end to the use of these products, especially by the young, pregnant, or people with accompanying diseases.
Most of the affected individuals are teenagers and young adults. The famous e-cigarette company Juul Labs is the first to be investigated by the US Food and Drug Administration. Meanwhile, this past week, Michigan became the first state to ban the use of flavored nicotine products for e-cigarettes and hookahs. The state’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer, instituted the ban because various fruit and candy-flavored nicotine products were successfully marketed to teenagers. Worrying government statistics for the period from 2011 to 2015, the use of e-cigarettes and vapes among high school students has increased by 900%.
When analyzing the liquid fillers, it was found that most of them contain vitamin E acetate, which accumulates in the lungs.
In a short time, several studies were conducted to determine the effects of electronic cigarettes and hookahs on the body. One of the studies is from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. In experiments with rodents, researchers found that lipids accumulated in their lungs, which also accumulated in macrophages, disrupting their function. The researchers also found that when exposed to various pathogens, rodents that were exposed to e-cigarette smoke developed lung infections much more easily due to impaired immunity. This is believed to be the cause of the new disease associated with the use of e-cigarettes.
According to another recent study conducted by researchers in North Carolina, e-cigarettes and hookahs reduced fertility in women and led to miscarriages and subsequent delayed baby development. The research was conducted on rodents, and some scientists remain skeptical of the results because of this fact. The study also found that the pups had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, and diabetes due to exposure to the chemicals. Several IVF centers in the US are already refusing procedures to women who have used e-cigarettes because of concerns about their effect on fetal development.
In recent years, the use of electronic cigarettes and hookahs has greatly increased in developed countries. Due to a lack of sufficient data, the opinion that they are a safer product compared to traditional nicotine products has been established. However, more and more new research suggests that this is not the case. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that e-cigarettes are undoubtedly harmful to health and should be regulated.
The material is informative and cannot replace consultation with a doctor. Before starting treatment, you must consult a doctor.
