Vaping could be linked to lung disease in more than 120 cases in 15 states

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Wisconsin is one of the states with the highest number of cases, with 15 confirmed and 15 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 lung disease in people using vaping products in New York and in other states are evidence that further study is needed on 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.

Health officials from several states said it was still unclear whether there was a link between cases or whether vaping had definitely caused these illnesses – which had led to the Hospitalization of several people.

In an email Friday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urged doctors to collect information and samples of patients likely to have been treated by similar patients. The agency said that she was working with some of these states to share information and facilitate testing.
"There are still many outstanding issues, but the health damage resulting from the current vape epidemic among youth in Minnesota continues to increase," said Dr. Ruth Lynfield, Medical Director and Epidemiologist of the state of Minnesota, in a statement. "We encourage service providers and parents to look for vaping as a cause of unexplained breathing problems, lung damage and disease."

A difficult condition to follow

The Minnesota Department of Health reported this week that some patients had been hospitalized for "several weeks", sometimes ending up in the intensive care unit. They came with symptoms such as shortness of breath, fever, cough, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, dizziness and chest pain.

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Dr. Emily Chapman, Medical Services Manager at Children & # 39; s Children & # 39; s Minnesota, who reported four cases, said in a statement that these diseases are difficult to diagnose because they may look like a common infection before leading to more serious complications.

They are also difficult to follow, say experts, because the pulmonary disease related to vaping is not a disease that is mandatory to report. Some ministries of health 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 vaping, so it will be difficult to follow and follow," said Dr. Humberto Choi, a pulmonologist and ICU specialist. the Cleveland Clinic.

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Choi said that he had himself witnessed three cases in recent months – and he suspects that others do not think that vaping is a potential cause.

"People had the impression that vaping was something safe," said Choi. "They do not connect the new symptoms with vaping."

The Ohio State of Choi, 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

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Thomas Haupt, an epidemiologist of respiratory diseases at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, told CNN earlier this month that the cases in his state were "normally healthy young people with serious respiratory illnesses and in some cases case, they actually had to go to the intensive care unit and were placed on fans. "

The lung disease seemed initially due to an infection, "but each test is completely negative," he added.

The Wisconsin cases largely concerned the southeast of the state, Haupt said. This borders the northeastern part of Illinois, where the first patients from this 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. state 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 a variety of substances contained in e-liquids might harm the cells or contain "dangerous chemicals", but the magnitude of the short and long-term risks term of the electronic cigarette still remains unclear. 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.

CNN's Nadia Kounang, Minali Nigam, Jen Christensen, Amanda Watts and Sheena Jones contributed to this report.

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