Vaping FAQs

what is the vaping illness symptoms

by Dr. Dominique Conroy Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
image

Cough. Chest pain. Fever and chills. Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.

Full Answer

What illnesses are caused by vaping?

Vaping illnesses and injuries associated with nicotine and chemical exposure may include:

  • Asthma
  • Brain development issues
  • Bronchitis
  • Bronchiolitis obliterans (aka Popcorn Lung – caused by exposure to the flavoring chemical diacetyl)
  • Heart problems
  • Respiratory illnesses

What are the early warning signs of vaping illness?

general symptoms like extreme fatigue or fever are also warning signs. “If someone is vaping and has these symptoms, they should probably be seen,” Choi said. “Most of the symptoms, when they’re mild, probably can be seen in the office.

What are the symptoms of vaping disease?

Symptoms include:

  • Persistent cough
  • Chest pain
  • Shortness of breath
  • Some users may even experience diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and fatigue before any breathing problems develop.

What are the dangers of vaping?

The interchangeable use of smoking and vaping is most common in people under age 35. They face equal risk of heart attack or stroke than if they lit up exclusively. The takeaway is that there is no ‘best’ method of inhaling nicotine.

image

What are the symptoms of a syringe?

Any new respiratory symptom should be reason for concern, including: 1 coughing 2 shortness of breath 3 chest tightness 4 wheezing 5 general symptoms like extreme fatigue or fever are also warning signs.

What kind of vapes did Justin use?

Justin had been using a Juul device and mint-flavored nicotine pods, his favorite. He bought mostly Juul products, plus the occasional off-brands available at stores. He would puff on the mint vapes constantly, draining about two pods a day.

How long did Justin Wilson vape?

Justin Wilson, 25, vaped for about a year and then suddenly collapsed, unable to breathe, on Sept. 1. He had to spend a week in a hospital in Portland, Oregon. Courtesy Jake Wilson. Sept. 13, 2019, 7:40 AM PDT / Source: TODAY. By A. Pawlowski.

Is vaping safe for kids?

Vaping is not as safe as people thought it was, said Dr. Humberto Choi, a pulmonologist and critical care specialist at the Cleveland Clinic. Choi has treated several of the vaping-related illnesses and has recently been inundated by calls from parents worried their children are exhibiting worrisome symptoms.

Will Justin go back to vaping?

Another theory is that the heated vapor returned to oil form inside the cooler human body, his father said. “There’s no way” Justin will go back to vaping, he said. Family friends are now throwing away their vape pens after learning about the ordeal, Jake Wilson added.

Can e-liquid cause lipoid pneumonia?

Because the e-liquids can contain oils, there’s concern about the potential for lipoid pneumonia — an inflammation of the lungs caused by oils — but that’s not the pattern Choi has seen at the Cleveland Clinic. Nor are black-market products necessarily to blame: Some of Choi's patients have only used a regular branded vaping device, not something tainted or bought on the street.

What is the audience of vaping?

Audience: Consumers and family members of consumers who use vaping products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC), a psychoactive component of the marijuana plant. Consumers who have used vaping products of any kind obtained off the street or from unknown sources.

Can you vape with THC?

Do not use vaping products that contain THC.

Is the FDA preventing vaping?

Purpose: In its continued efforts to protect the public, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is strengthening its warning to consumers to stop using vaping products containing THC amid more than 1,000 reports of lung injuries —including some resulting in deaths—following the use of vaping products. The FDA is working closely ...

Is vaping approved by the FDA?

No vaping product has been approved by the FDA for therapeutic uses or authorized for marketing by the FDA. The agency recommends contacting your health care provider for more information about the use of THC to treat medical conditions.

How do you know if you have vaping problems?

Symptoms include: Persistent cough. Chest pain. Shortness of breath. Some users may even experience diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and fatigue before any breathing problems develop.

Can vaping cause lung injury?

There are some common symptoms of EVALI, including persistent cough, chest pain, and shortness of breath. As vaping and e-cigarettes have grown in popularity in recent years, so has e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI). Vaping was designed to be addictive.

What is vaping illness?

First, let's cover the basics. The condition has been given the term EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury). Whether intentionally or not, it's an acronym that speaks directly to how little is known about the illness; thus far, the only solid link between cases is that those who fell ill reported a history of vaping or e-cigarette use. Sufferers typically report a gradual onset of early symptoms over days or weeks, including respiratory symptoms such as coughing, chest pain, and shortness of breath, as well as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, fever, and weight loss.

How many people died from vaping in 2019?

The first smattering of cases were recognized in April 2019. By August, the mysterious illness had claimed its first lives. Months later, with the case count at 2,290 and 47 confirmed deaths, health organizations are scrambling to discover the cause of the vaping-related illness. Much is still unknown about the illness and its causes, ...

How does vaping work?

Beth K. Thielen, University of Minnesota fellow in adult and pediatric infectious diseases, offers a helpful explanation: "With both, the goal of the user is to convert the drug — typically nicotine or THC — into a gas form that can be taken into the body by breathing the drug. With vaping, there is typically a heating element powered by a battery that converts the liquid contents of the vape cartridge into a gas or aerosol. While the way they generate aerosols or gases is different, both smoking and vaping can deliver potentially harmful byproducts in addition to the drug."

What percentage of vaping patients are male?

Of the reported cases where the requisite data is available, the CDC reports that 70 percent of patients are male, 79 percent are under the age of 35, and a full 86 percent report the use of products containing tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC — the main psychoactive compound present in marijuana — suggesting that the chemical plays a marked role in this outbreak.

What are the metals in e-cigarettes?

As far back as February 28, scientists at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health warned that the tiny metal coils inside an e-cigarette — that heat and ultimately aerosolize the liquid nitrogen — could be tainted with toxic metals like chromium, manganese, nickel, and even lead.

Is smoking a byproduct of vaping?

With smoking, of course, we now know that those potentially harmful byproducts, include tar and carbon monoxide, ingredients e-cigarettes were specifically designed to sidestep. But in avoiding one potential contaminant, the largely unregulated vaping industry opened the door to a host of others.

Is the e-cigarette industry regulated?

However, it's important to note that the entire e-cigarette industry is ultimately unregulated. In the decade that e-cigarettes have been on the market, the FDA has repeatedly delayed its review of e-cigarettes, a lapse the agency has vowed to address.

When will vaping peak?

Emergency department (ED) visits related to e-cigarette, or vaping, products continue to decline, after sharply increasing in August 2019 and peaking in September.

When is the next vaping hospital admission?

Dates of symptom onset and hospital admission for patients with lung injury associated with e-cigarette use, or vaping — United States, March 31, 2019–February 15, 2020. Numbers do not sum to 2,807 due to missing admission dates.

What is an e-cigarette?

Using an e-cigarette is commonly called vaping. E-cigarettes work by heating a liquid to produce an aerosol that users inhale into their lungs.

How to contact CDC about e-cigarettes?

If you have questions about CDC’s investigation into the lung injuries associated with use of e-cigarette, or vaping, products, contact CDC-INFO or call 1-800-232-4636.

Who monitors e-cigarettes?

CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), state and local health departments, and other clinical and public health partners are continuing to monitor e-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI).

Is vitamin E acetate linked to the eli outbreak?

Vitamin E acetate is strongly linked to the EVALI outbreak. Vitamin E acetate has been found in product samples tested by FDA and state laboratories and in patient lung fluid samples tested by CDC from geographically diverse states. Vitamin E acetate has not been found in the lung fluid of people that do not have EVALI.

How many people die from vaping?

There have been 1,299 reported cases of people suffering lung injuries after using electronic cigarettes or vaping products in the U.S., along with 26 official deaths, according to a new Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The numbers are expected to rise along with awareness ...

What is the CDC's name for vaping?

While the concept of vaping-related illness is fairly new, the CDC just revealed there’s now a name for it: e-cigarette or vaping product use associated lung injury, aka EVALI. There’s a lot health officials still haven’t figured out about EVALI, but here’s what they do know about its potential causes, symptoms, and treatment.

What are the symptoms of EVALI specifically?

EVALI can cause symptoms that resemble those of pneumonia or the flu , the CDC warns, including the following:

How is EVALI detected?

There isn’t a specific test for EVALI. “The diagnosis is actually quite difficult,” Dr. Onugha says. “You have to be asking the right questions to understand what’s happening.”

What does treatment for EVALI look like?

Many patients with EVALI have been hospitalized, and the CDC says treatment with corticosteroids has been shown to help in some cases. Some people will be placed on ventilators to help them breathe, Dr. Onugha says.

What is the respiratory virus panel?

A respiratory virus panel is also recommended to rule out other illnesses and a chest CT scan. “A patient can have pneumonia or the flu,” Dr. Onugha says.

Is e-cigarettes a cause of lung cancer?

While experts know that e-cigarettes and va ping products are involved , they’re not exactly sure what it is about those products that’s causing the lung illness. The CDC did note that more than 80 percent of cases of EVALI involved products with THC (the chemical responsible for most of marijuana’s psychological effects). As a result, officials are looking into thickeners and additives that are found in black market THC cartridges.

What are the symptoms of evali?

Shortness of breath. Weight loss. Night sweats. Fatigue. Gastrointestinal problems. Low oxygen levels. Lung failure and death (in severe cases) Currently, there is no single test for EVALI. Since many of its symptoms are similar to those of other respiratory diseases doctors must use a process of elimination to properly diagnose the disorder.

Can you use THC in vaping?

While the federal government is investigating its precise cause, it has recommended avoiding use of any vaping products, especially those containing THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, and those obtained from friends or acquaintances or bought through illegal channels. Illegal sales appear to be the root of the majority of the tested cases (although several cases have been identified in which the vaping product came from a regulated marijuana dispensary).

Why do pediatricians ask about vaping?

At Yale Medicine, most pediatricians have started asking middle- and high school-age patients about their exposure to vaping, in large part to identify patients who might be at higher risk for developing related problems.

How many deaths from vaping in 2020?

By February 2020, the CDC had recorded over 2800 hospitalizations due to EVALI along with 68 deaths caused by the condition.

What are the risk factors of EVALI?

The primary risk factor for EVALI is current or previous use of a vaping device.

How is EVALI diagnosed?

Diagnosing EVALI can be challenging because the symptoms of this lung condition are similar to those of other respiratory illnesses, like pneumonia and even the seasonal flu virus.

What is the cause of evali?

Because of this and other studies, vitamin E acetate is considered the main cause of EVALI. Other chemicals found in nicotine- and THC-containing vaping products may also play a role in the condition.

What are the ingredients in vape liquid?

Most vape liquids contain substances such as propylene glycol and glycerol as base ingredients that create the vapor. But they may also contain other compounds including artificial flavors, nicotine, THC, and cannabinoid (CBD) oil.

Is there a drop in vaping cases in 2020?

Fortunately, there has been a substantial drop in cases since they peaked in August and September of 2020. What’s more, researchers have also identified vitamin E acetate, a chemical added to some THC-containing vaping products, as the main—but possibly not the only—cause of the illness. The outbreak of EVALI cases emerged against a backdrop of an ongoing vaping epidemic among youth. According to the CDC, 15% of EVALI patients were less than 18 years old.

How many people in the US have developed respiratory symptoms after vaping?

Health investigators in the US say that most of the patients who ended up in hospital had reported similar symptoms, including: A report published in The New England Journal of Medicine describes how 53 patients from Wisconsin and Illinois had developed serious respiratory symptoms after vaping.

How does vaping work?

Vaping works by heating chemical-filled liquid and turning it into steam to be inhaled.

Is THC in vape liquid?

Health officials in the US are now looking into more than 450 other similar cases - most of them otherwise healthy young people in their teens or early 20s. They believe THC — the psychoactive agent in marijuana — is present within the vape liquid, which could be contributing to the illness.

Is vaping dangerous?

Thomas Eissenberg, who studies vaping at Virginia Commonwealth University, told the NY Times: “Inhaling oil into your lungs is extremely dangerous behaviour that could result in death."

Is Vitamin E oil listed on vaping products?

Another issue is that many vaping ingredients are not listed on the products. In some of the cases reported in New York they have found Vitamin E oil to be one of the most common substances associated with sudden and severe respiratory problems, state officials said.

Is vaping a new phenomenon?

The report suggests that the vaping-related illnesses are a new phenomenon, and not something that went undetected in the past.

Can popcorn cause respiratory problems?

Inhaling the popcorn and caramel e-cig liquids could increase a vaper's risk of respiratory diseases, their findings suggest.

image
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9