Hospitalizations and deaths from vaping-related lung injuries continue to slow.
In total, 2,711 people have been hospitalized from all 50 states as well as Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Sixty people from 27 states and Washington, D.C. have died.
About 66% of patients have been male, and the median age is 24. Among those who have died, the median age is 51.
Roughly 82% of hospitalized patients used a vaping product containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), according to the CDC. Among those who provided data on their source, 78% acquired them from informal sources like family/friends, dealers or the internet. Teens were more likely to use these informal sources than adults.
The CDC has found a link between the lung injuries and vitamin E acetate, which sometimes is used as a diluent in THC vaping products, although officials are not ruling out other contributing chemicals.
Patients have complained of difficulty breathing, shortness of breath and/or chest pain. Some also experienced diarrhea, vomiting, fever and fatigue.
The CDC encourages clinicians to consider vaping-related illnesses in patients with lung disease, collect detailed information on the products patients were using and report suspected cases to their state health department.
