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(CNN) – At least 15 states have identified more than 120 cases of lung disease or lesions that can be linked to vaping, according to a CNN survey conducted by state health services. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Saturday that they were investigating serious lung diseases among people who use electronic cigarettes in some states.
According to the CNN survey, Wisconsin is among the states with the highest number of cases and 15 more are under investigation. Illinois has 10 confirmed cases and 12 more are under investigation. California is studying 19 cases of this type. The New York State Department of Health announced Friday that it was "actively investigating" 11 cases. Indiana and New Jersey both reported nine cases, six of which were confirmed by Indiana.
Health officials in Connecticut, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah also said they were aware of confirmed or confirmed cases. potential. A total of 42 states and Washington, DC, provided a response to CNN.
"These latest reports of pulmonary diseases in people using vaping products in New York and in other states are evidence that it is necessary to further study the long-term effects of these products on health, "said Dr. Howard Zucker, health commissioner of the state of New York. in a statement Friday.
The CDC announced Saturday that it has identified 94 possible cases of serious pneumonia associated with vaping in 14 states from June 28 to August 15.
Health officials in several states said it was still unclear whether there was a link between the cases or whether the invasion was definitely causing these diseases – which had led to the hospitalization of several people.
In an email Friday, the CDC urged doctors to gather information and samples of what similar patients might have experienced. The agency said that she was working with some of these states to share information and facilitate testing.
"There are still a lot of unresolved issues, but health problems resulting from the current youth epidemic in Minnesota continue to worsen," said Ruth Lynfield, medical director and epidemiologist of the Minnesota Department of Health, in a statement. "We encourage service providers and parents to be on the lookout for vaping that could lead to unexplained breathing problems, as well as lung lesions and diseases."
A difficult condition to follow
The Minnesota Department of Health announced this week that some patients had been hospitalized for "several weeks", sometimes ending up in an intensive care unit. They came with symptoms such as shortness of breath, fever, cough, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, dizziness and chest pain.
Dr. Emily Chapman, Medical Services Manager at Children's Minnesota, who reported four cases, said in a statement that these diseases are difficult to diagnose because they may start out as a common infection before leading to more serious complications. .
They are also difficult to follow, say the experts, because the pulmonary disease associated with vaping is not a disease that needs to be reported. Some health services said they did not follow this data.
Nevertheless, states publish opinions in the hope that doctors will notice the clues and ask the right questions. In Colorado, Georgia, and Kansas, health officials have attempted to search for cases by analyzing data from the emergency services.
"There is no diagnostic code … for pulmonary diseases related to the inhalation of vapors. This will be hard to follow and follow, "said Dr. Humberto Choi, Pulmonologist and Critical Care Specialist at Cleveland Clinic.
Choi said he has witnessed three cases himself in recent months – and he suspects others who do not think shortness of breath is a potential cause.
"People felt that vaping was something safe," said Choi. "They do not make the connection between new symptoms and vaping."
The state of Choi Ohio, however, is not one of the states where health departments are currently reporting cases, according to the state's health department.
"It's hard to say what to expect in these cases because it's something new," said Choi.
No clear guilty
Thomas Haupt, an epidemiologist of respiratory diseases at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, told CNN earlier this month that the cases in his condition were young people who were "normally healthy and were suffering from serious respiratory illnesses. in some cases, they actually had to go to the intensive care unit and were ventilated. "
The lung disease seemed initially due to an infection, "but each test is completely negative," he added.
The Wisconsin cases are mainly in the southeast of the state, Haupt said. This borders the northeastern part of Illinois, where the first patients from that state were hospitalized.
While officials are still trying to determine the products used by patients, some states – including Wisconsin, Minnesota and New York – have stated that the use of nicotine and marijuana products has been reported.
In Wisconsin, "all patients reported to be vaping prior to their hospitalization, but we do not know all the products they used at that time," said Andrea Palm, secretary of the Department of Health. Ministry of Health Services Health Services, in a statement released last week. "The products used could include a number of substances, including nicotine, THC, synthetic cannabinoids or a combination of these substances."
Health experts have pointed out that e-liquids contain a variety of substances that can damage cells or contain "dangerous chemicals", but the extent of the short and long-term risks of e-cigarettes remains fuzzy. A number of counterfeit and adulterated products have also been placed on the market, which may contain other additives or ingredients. It is not known if this plays a role in these cases.
The-CNN-Wire
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