A vape-related illness leaves the teenager with lungs like that of a 70-year-old man

September 12, 2019 10:40 PM by admin

The habit of vape from Adam Hergenreder almost killed him.

Late last month, this 18-year-old student athlete from Gurnee, Illinois, was hospitalized after using electronic cigarettes for more than a year and a half. Now his lungs look like those of a 70-year-old adult, the doctors told him.

"It was scary to think of that – this little device did that to my lungs," said Adam, remembering the news of his doctors about his lung health.

Adam is one of hundreds of e-cigarette users in the United States with a mysterious vaping-related lung disease, many of whom are young. Investigators have not yet identified the cause of the diseases.

<span class = "image" data-attrib = "courtesy of the Hergenreder family" data-caption = "Hergenreder & # 39; s& nbsp; case is one of more than 450 lung diseases associated with the use of electronic cigarettes in the United States. & nbsp;">


© courtesy of the Hergenreder family
Hergenreder This case is one of more than 450 lung diseases associated with the use of electronic cigarettes in the United States.

While calls for increased regulation are being sought, the Trump administration is now considering removing from the market flavored electronic cigarettes – with the exception of tobacco flavorings.

"Why is it important? We are seeing an absolute increase in the number of high school and high school kids using these flavored products," said US Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar. said in a video statement Wednesday. "Mint, menthol, fruit flavor, alcohol flavor, chewing gum."

The US Food and Drug Administration announced on Wednesday that more than a quarter of high school students reported using electronic cigarettes and the "overwhelming" reference using popular fruit and menthol or mint aromas, according to preliminary National Youth data. . Tobacco Survey.

Adam, who sprayed nicotine and THC products, said that he was not sure that his lungs would be 100% – and he worried about knowing he'd be sick. he will never be able to fight again.

"I used to be a college wrestler and I may never be able to fight because it's a very physical sport and my lungs may not be able to withstand that effort." Adam.

<span class = "image" data-attrib = "courtesy of the Hergenreder family" data-caption = "The Trump administration is considering removing all flavored electronic cigarettes from the market.">


© courtesy of the Hergenreder family
The Trump administration is considering removing all flavored electronic cigarettes from the market.

& # 39; We must act quickly & # 39;

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 450 possible cases of lung disease associated with the use of electronic cigarettes in the United States, which has been termed an "epidemic".

Health officials also confirmed six deaths – in California, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Oregon, and Kansas – related to vaping-related lung disease.

Although illnesses and deaths have occurred in both young and older adults, experts warned of an increase in vaping among young people.

"We need to move quickly against flavored electronic cigarette products that particularly appeal to children," FDA acting commissioner Ned Sharpless said in a statement, adding that the FDA would take additional measures to fight the "drug-related" problem. young people use tobacco-flavored products in the market, if young people start using them.

"The tremendous progress we have made in reducing youth smoking in the United States is compromised by this e-cigarette attack – no one wants to see children become nicotine addicts, and we will continue to use the entire field. of our regulatory authority in a thoughtful and thorough way to deal with the growing public health crisis ".

Separate surveys also suggest that most teenagers think that e-cigarettes are safe.

Adam certainly thought that vaping was safe when he started using electronic cigarettes, he said. One of his favorite flavors was mango.

"It was good and it gave a little head high"

<span class = "image" data-attrib = "courtesy of the Hergenreder family" data-caption = "The habit of vape from Adam Hergenreder almost killed him. & Nbsp;">


© courtesy of the Hergenreder family
The habit of vape from Adam Hergenreder almost killed him.

"I started by vaping to integrate, because everyone was doing it," said Adam, adding that the aroma was of interest, especially mango.

"It did not taste like a cigarette," he said. "It was good", and caused a little buzz because of nicotine.

The vaping began about a year and a half ago, he said, and he was picking up electronic cigarette products, such as those from the Juul brand, at the nearby gas station.

"They do not have a map," he said.

"He would wake up in the morning and blow on that Juul, then cough," said Adam's mother, Polly Hergenreder.

"He would hit him several times a day, my son would spend half a day and a half every other day, or a day and a half."

According to experts, a Juul capsule – a nicotine-rich liquid cartridge that users plug into the dominant brand of e-cig – – provides the same amount of nicotine to the body as a pack of cigarettes. "That smokes a lot of cigarettes," Polly said.

Finally, Adam stated that he had gone from over-the-counter ejaculation to e-liquid vapors of THC or tetrahydrocannabinol, which is the main psychoactive component of marijuana. Adam would get the THC from a "friend" or a reseller.

Over time, Adam said that he was developing chills and was unable to control them. Then, the vomiting started.

"I was just throwing up every day for three days," he said. "Finally I went to the pediatrician."

At first, doctors did not relate Adam's symptoms to his vaping. He received anti-nausea medication, but said that his vomiting did not stop. After visiting various doctors, he finally saw someone who asked him if he was drinking and using THC.

"I answered honestly," says Adam. "I said I was."

The team overseeing Adam's care performed a scan of his stomach and noticed something unusual in the lower part of his lungs. The doctors then took a x-ray of his lungs.

"It's at that point that they saw all the damage," Adam said.

"If I had known what it was doing to my body, I would never have touched it, but I did not know it," he said about vaping. "I have not been educated."

"If we did not bring Adam … his lungs would have collapsed"

Adam was admitted to the hospital at the end of August.

"If his mother had not brought him to the hospital over the next couple of days, his breathing could have deteriorated to such an extent that he could have died s & # 39; He had not consulted a doctor, "said Dr. Stephen Amesbury, a pulmonologist. and specialist intensive care physician at the Advocate Condell Medical Center in Illinois, one of the doctors who consulted Adam.

"It was a serious lung disease, especially among young people, it was out of breath and had trouble breathing," Amesbury said. "It was very disturbing that he is suffering from major lung damage and perhaps a few changes after his recovery."

Adam's mother, Polly, spent the next six days in the hospital with her son, who was connected to intravenous and who was supplied with oxygen through nasal tubes.

"The doctors told us that if we did not bring in Adam when we brought him in, his lungs would have collapsed and he would have died," Polly said.

Yet, she added, "you should always try to find the line of sight" and, for her family, use Adam's experience to educate others about the risks of vaping.

Adam has now returned from the hospital and "it is still difficult to do normal activities, like climbing stairs, I still have enough fatigue," he said.

Even though he's still recovering – including doing respiratory treatments – Adam has focused on sharing his story. Through his plea, he even claimed to have convinced some of his friends to stop running out of steam.

"I'm getting better every day," he said. "I do not want to see anyone in my situation, I do not want to see anyone in the hospital as long as I've been."

The federal investigation into the link between vaping and severe lung disease is ongoing and has not determined the cause, but all reported cases have indicated the use of electronic cigarette and some patients reported using electronic cigarettes containing products containing cannabinoids, such as THC. .

Separate investigations are also conducted in separate states.

Health officials in New York said last week that extremely high concentrations of chemical vitamin E acetate had been detected in almost all cannabis-containing vaping products analyzed under the program. ;investigation. At least one spraying product containing this chemical has been associated with each person who has fallen ill and has tested a product in that state.

Laboratory tests conducted at the Wadsworth Center of the New York State Department of Health in Albany have revealed "very high levels" of vitamin E acetate in samples containing cannabis, the Department of State Health.

Vitamin E acetate is now "a key element" of the state's investigation of these diseases, the New York Department of Health announced. Some of the products containing vitamin E acetate have been found are candy-flavored vapors.

"There's really not enough vaping history to tell what's going to happen"

Juul asserted that her products are intended to convert adult smokers into what she has described in the past as a less harmful alternative. In other communications, the company said that it could not claim that its products were safer, in accordance with FDA regulations.

Scientists point out that they are still studying the long-term effects of electronic cigarettes on health. A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in May found that the aromas of the electronic cigarette can damage the cells lining your blood vessels and perhaps even your heart health.

Another study, published in the journal Radiology in August, indicates that vaping temporarily affects the function of blood vessels in healthy people. With the help of MRI, it was found, for example, changes in blood flow in the femoral artery of the leg after a single use. The researchers could not determine which chemical could be responsible for the observed changes.

According to Amesbury, there are still many issues to be resolved.

"We are very early in the discovery phase of the problems that may result from the evacuation," he said. "We are discovering these serious and serious illnesses now, but there is not enough history of vaping to say what will happen in 10, 20 or 30 years."