"What's Behind a Cluster of Vaping-Related Severe Lung Disease?" - Diana Swift and Rabiya S. Tuma
Since July, a cluster of 15 cases of severe lung problems requiring hospitalization has emerged in the Midwest. All patients were teens or young adults, and all reported recent vaping. Patients experienced a plethora of symptoms, including shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain, cough, anorexia, nausea, diarrhea, and weight loss, with symptoms worsening over days or weeks before requiring admission to hospital. “This is not harmless water vapor. The aerosols in e-cigarettes release a pretty significant chemical cocktail,” said Karen Wilson, MD, MPH, division chief of general pediatrics at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital. She added, “These cause inflammation in other circumstances, so you'd expect them to cause inflammation in the lungs.”
— Karen M. Wilson, MD, MPH, Vice-Chair, Clinical and Translational Research, Professor, Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Division Chief, General Pediatrics, Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital