Severe Vape-Related Illnesses Still a Puzzle

Federal and state public health officials said Friday afternoon that they are now investigating 193 cases — one fatal — in which individuals have been stricken with severe respiratory illnesses following e-cigarette use, but still have few clues as to the specific causes.

The death occurred in Illinois, said the state’s chief medical officer, Jennifer Layden, MD, PhD, on a press call with CDC and FDA officials. She said no other information on the case would be released for privacy reasons.

Ileana Arias, PhD, acting deputy director for non-infectious diseases at the CDC, said officials were still trying to find commonalities in the cases reported so far, which have come from 22 states. Although all the individuals had recently used e-cigarettes, many other aspects of their histories differed.

For example, some but not all had recently consumed the THC cannabinoid. Most but not all victims have been adolescent and young adult males. Layden said that, among the 22 confirmed cases seen in Illinois, the median age was 23 but ranged up to 38.

Another common but not universal feature of the illnesses is gradual symptom onset, Arias said. She stressed that e-cigarettes had not been confirmed as the cause of any of the cases seen so far.

“FDA is working with CDC and state health officials to gather any information on any products or substances used, and providing technical and laboratory assistance,” she said.

She also urged physicians seeing possible vaping-related illnesses to submit as much detailed information as possible to their state health departments.

The FDA is particularly looking for vaping liquids or devices that may be responsible for the illnesses. Mitch Zeller, JD, director of the agency’s Center for Tobacco Products, said some state health departments had submitted samples related to some of the cases that are now being analyzed, though no results were yet available. Zeller said the FDA would be “looking at brands of vaping products and devices” involved in the cases.

https://www.medpagetoday.com/pulmonology/smoking/81786