Mysterious new lung disease has taken the lives of five people in the United States, leaving the state and federal health officials perplexed. It appears that this fatal illness is linked to vaping.
Via Vox
What is vaping?
It is an act of inhaling and exhaling of vapors through e-cigarettes or similar devices like vape pens. These vapors have fine particles and some of these particles contain varying degrees of toxic chemicals linked to cancer, as well as respiratory and heart disease.
US health officials released rough stats on Friday saying that as many as 450 users of such devices across 33 US states may be affected. 215 cases have been confirmed so far. Upon such alarming news, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has expanded its investigation and research. Health officials are urging everyone to stop using electronic cigarettes and such as the mysterious lung illness hasn’t been figured out.
Via Daily Mail
Indiana health officials informed that a young adult 18-year of age only died due to severe lung injury, marking him as the third person to breath their last and vaping to be the cause of death.
What exactly the deceased were vaping still remains unclear!
“‘We are recommending people consider not using e-cigarettes,” CDC officials said this Friday.
Via News Medical
Some of the confirmed cases, not all, involved THC (the psychoactive chemical in marijuana) and nicotine vaping. Investigators have discovered presence of a chemical called vitamin E acetate in all of the THC e-cigs they have tested. This chemical acts like grease in the lungs, damaging the air sacs present in the lungs.
Possible symptoms of this unknown lung disease.
Most of the cases involved shortness of breath and chest pains that progresses to coughing, vomiting, fatigue, diarrhea, fever, and weight loss. The officials at CDC are still trying to figure what exactly is in the e-cigs that is causing this illness.
Patients with the most severe case of illness are hospitalized, placed on ventilators and in medically-induced comas. They show severely damaged lungs often appear to be infected with pneumonia.
Also Read: 5 Ways To End Your Smoking Habit!
This is an epidemic that is engulfing young people and seems to be growing affecting several people. It is advised to reduce the habit of vaping and stop smoking/vaping entirely. The question “is vaping safe” that was affirmatively answered, has been proved otherwise considering the outbreak of severe lung disease that hasn’t been identified yet.
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