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A patient has died after suffering a mysterious lung illness linked to vaping, health officials said Friday. The death comes in the wake of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announcing this week.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported that a person who had been hospitalized with severe respiratory illness after vaping died. They did not release any further details about the deceased, including their age or gender. But in the same update, they reported that 22 people in the state were made to come into their own with the help of e-cigarettes or vaping, while another 12 possible cases are being investigated. These patients ranged in age from 17 to 38. Most of them have been progressively worsening symptoms like cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue, while some have also had vomiting and diarrhea.
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The first cases of this cluster were reported in Wisconsin, dating back as far as late June; Illinois was the second state to follow. In early August, the CDC feels a call to doctors and health officials in other states to look for and report any similar cases. As of Wednesday, there are 149 possible cases found in 15 states, and the tally continues to grow.
"The severity of illnesses are experiencing e-cigarettes and vaping can be dangerous," said IDPH director Ngozi Ezike in a statement. "We asked for a team from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help us investigate these cases and they arrived in Illinois on Tuesday."
The only clear link to these cases is a recent history of vaping, while alternative causes of infection have been ruled out. But many victims have reported using products containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical responsible for cannabis's high, according to the CDC.
Experts have argued that the chemical components of vaping THC-which can include flammable liquids-as well as poor manufacturing of the devices used in these cases. But it is not possible to involve THC or more potent synthetic cannabinoids,
There remains no specific product or compound that is conclusively linked to all of the cases, the CDC said Wednesday. And they have not considered the possibility that these cases may be more than one common cause.
While this recent death may be the first linked to vaping itself (exploding vape pens notwithstanding), researchers and physicians have reported to a wide range of health effects, including seizures, unrelated to this cluster in recent years. Evidence may continue to be considered as long-term, chronic, but possibly to the same extent as tobacco cigarettes.
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