Vaping-related lung injuries have been linked to two more deaths and 97 more hospitalizations, according to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data.
The increases bring the totals to 54 deaths and 2,506 hospitalizations.
Cases have been reported in every state. About 67% of patients were male, 75% were white and the median age was 24 years.
About 80% of hospitalized patients used a vaping product containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). While 152 different THC-containing products have been reported, the most common is Dank Vapes, which the CDC described as “a class of largely counterfeit THC-containing products of unknown origin.”
The CDC recently announced the discovery of 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 possible causes.
This week, new Monitoring the Future data showed about 14% of 12th-graders recently vaped marijuana, nearly double the rate in 2018. About 25.5% of 12th-graders reported vaping nicotine in the past month, a figure that has also continued to rise.
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.
