The PNEUMONIA Times
E-cigarettes cause lung injuries, pneumonia
A 31-year-old West Virginia woman with no prior lung disease contracted a rare form of pneumonia after inhaling vapor from electronic cigarettes.
The woman had been vaping for a couple of months before being admitted to a hospital this year with a chronic cough. According to the doctors who treated her, she went into respiratory failure and was put on a ventilator after a while.
Likewise, a 60-year-old man in Vermont suffered an acute lung injury and was diagnosed with hypersensitivity pneumonitis last year after vaping "red hot cinnamon" flavored e-cigarettes.
The two cases highlight the severity of lung injuries due to the use of e-cigarettes and other vaping devices.
High levels of diacetyl and a second chemical are known to cause permanent and sometimes fatal lung disease. Diacetyl damages the lungs' tiniest airways, leading to scar tissue buildup that blocks airflow.
Drescher and his colleague, Graham Atkins, who was also involved with the Vermont case, said they believe diacetyl may have played a role in their patient's illness. They said the man first came to the hospital with weakness, chills and a cough. He was treated with antibiotics and went home three days later feeling normal.
He returned a month later with the same symptoms, this time with a fever. He did a CT scan and it showed that his lungs that has been exposed to a chemical. When doctors asked the man what he had been doing, he said he had been vaping strongly flavored e-cigarettes beforehand.
After which, the man stopped vaping and recovered within several days. A follow-up showed normal pulmonary functioning.
References: http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/cases-tie-e-cigarettes-to-lung-injuries-pneumonia-b99606028z1-338598861.html