Twenty-six people including a teenager have died from vaping-related lung injuries, and the total case count has grown to 1,299, health officials said Thursday.
About 70% of patients have been male, and 80% are under 35 years. Patients who have died have ranged in age from 17 to 75 years with a median age of 49, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Lung injuries have been reported in every state except Alaska. Deaths have been reported in 21 states.
Among 573 patients with information on substances they used in e-cigarette products, about 76% reported using tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-containing products with or without nicotine; 32% reported exclusive use of THC-containing products; and 13% reported exclusive use of nicotine-containing products.
“The latest national and regional findings suggest products containing THC play a role in the outbreak,” the CDC said on its website. Still, it hasn’t been able to pinpoint a specific product or device responsible for the illnesses and is continuing to investigate.
Patients have complained of difficulty breathing, shortness of breath and/or chest pain. Some also experienced diarrhea, vomiting, fever and fatigue, according to the CDC.
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. Detailed guidance from the CDC is available at https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/han00421.asp. For information about the collection of e-cigarette products for possible testing by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), email [email protected].
The CDC also encourages the public to report any unexpected tobacco or e-cigarette-related health or product issues to the FDA’s online Safety Reporting Portal, http://www.safetyreporting.hhs.gov.
