smoking

CDC: Cases of Vaping-Related Lung Injury Rise to 530

The number of confirmed and probably cases of severe lung injury linked to vaping has risen from 380 to 530 over the last week, according to the CDC. So far, there have been 7 confirmed deaths.

While many of the cases have reported the use of vaping products containing THC, no consistent product, substance, or additive has been identified in all cases.

Complete sex and age data are currently available for 373 of the 530 cases. Of these, 72% are male and 67% are 18 to 34 years old.

The CDC recommends that clinicians should:

  • Report cases of lung injury of unclear etiology and a history of vaping product use within 90 days to the local health department.
  • In patients for which vaping is suspected as the possible etiology of lung injury, obtain a detailed history of the substances and products used.
  • The decision to use corticosteroids should be made on a case-by-case basis.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

CDC. Outbreak of lung injury associated with e-cigarette use, or vaping. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/severe-lung-disease.html. Published September 19, 2019. Accessed September 20, 2019.