The vet disease of an 18-year-old teenager left him with lungs that looked more like those of a 70-year-old teenager than those of a teenager, according to his doctors.
Adam Hergenreder, a student athlete from Gurnee, Illinois, began to emulate about a year and a half ago, CNN reported. Last month, he developed chills and nausea that turned into days of uncontrollable vomiting.
"I was just throwing up every day for three days," he told CNN. "Finally I went to the pediatrician."
Originally, the doctors did not suspect the presence of vaping – but after taking an X-ray of the lungs, they noticed that something was wrong.
"It's at that point that they found all the damage," Hergenreder told CNN.
Hergenreder spent six days in the hospital, suffering from a "serious lung disease" that required him to be connected to an intravenous infusion and a respiratory system. He told CNN that he was shocked to learn by his doctors that his lungs looked like those of a "70-year-old man".
RELATED: A look at the vaping industry
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An employee of Cloud 10, an electronic cigarette store located in Simi Valley, California, demonstrates that the type of smoke, odorless, comes from an electric cigarette. Sales are booming in this store.
(Lynne Gilbert via Getty Images
A customer exhales vapors while smoking an electric cigarette at the Betamorph E-Cigs store in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States, on Saturday, December 10, 2016. Sales in the US steam engine market are expected to increase by 21% by the year 2020, based on data from Euromonitor Passport.
(Sergio Flores / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
An electronic cigarette store located in Simi Valley, California, called Cloud 10, presents various types of electric cigarette juice flavors for sale. Sales are booming in this store.
(Lynne Gilbert via Getty Images)
Indonesian teenager exhaling smoke from electric cigarettes (electronic cigarettes), as we saw in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, on the night of December 5, 2014. Electric cigarettes (electronic cigarettes) are over more popular in Indonesia, especially among teenagers. In fact, cigarettes are actually more harmful than regular cigarettes and more and more patients are intoxicated after using electronic cigarettes and liquid nicotine continues to increase. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the brand of electronic cigarettes was produced on 466 8,000 tastes, with a spending budget of 3 billion US dollars.
(Photo by Ivan Damanik / NurPhoto)
Gdynia, Poland, Dec. 29 2015 The Polish Ministry of Health plans to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes to persons under 18, to restrict advertising and promotion and to introduce technical requirements. The new law on tobacco control will come into force in the second quarter of 2016. In the photo: Lady smoking an electronic cigarette.
(Michal Fludra / Corbis via Getty Images)
Kiradech Aphibarnrat, from Thailand, smokes an electric cigarette on the second day of the World Cup Golf Tournament at Kingston Heath Golf Club on November 25, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney / Getty Images)
Electric cigarette "juice" with various flavors. It's at Cloud 10 in Simi Valley, CA This brand is the most popular in this store. Santa Monica has just passed the law banning electronic cigarettes. Business is booming here.
(Lynne Gilbert via Getty Images
Mitchell Baker, who works at Vapor Place, a vaping store in Bedminster, exhales the steam produced by an electronic cigarette on December 30, 2016 in Bristol, England. According to recent figures released by the e-cigarette industry, there would be no less than 1,700 vape shops spread across the country, including two new ones open every day, serving about three million e-cigarettes in the UK. The popularity of e-cigarettes has exploded in the last ten years. Many consider it a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes. However, some critics argue that devices can carry the same risks as smoking, especially in the long run. to be known.
(Matt Cardy / Getty Images)
Electronic cigarette merchandise is on sale at Vapor Place, a vaping store located in Bedminster, on December 30, 2016 in Bristol, England. According to recent figures released by the e-cigarette industry, there would be no less than 1,700 vape shops spread across the country, including two new ones open every day, serving about three million e-cigarettes in the UK. The popularity of e-cigarettes has exploded in the last ten years. Many consider it a healthier alternative to traditional cigarettes. However, some critics argue that devices can carry the same risks as smoking, especially in the long run. to be known.
(Photo by Matt Cardy / Getty Images)
A party animal dressed in Santa costume smokes of an electronic cigarette while he participates in Santacon in front of Euston Station on December 10, 2016 in London, England. Santacon is an annual parade that takes place in cities around the world and sees revelers dressed in Santa's costumes come down the streets to spread the seasonal joy.
(Photo by Jack Taylor / Getty Images)
Flavored vape juice bottles are on sale at the Betamorph E-Cigs store in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA on Saturday, December 10, 2016. Sales in the US Steam Device Market are expected to increase 21% per annum by 2020, based on Euromonitor Passport data.
(Sergio Flores / Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A woman smokes an electronic cigarette during Vapexpo 2015 in Moscow, at the Sokolniki Exhibition Center, on December 5, 2015 in Moscow, Russia.
(Photo by Sefa Karacan / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images)
This photo taken on November 19, 2015 shows bottles of concentrated flavors exhibited in a vape shop in Kuala Lumpur. Vaping's is increasingly popular in Malaysia, the largest electronic cigarette market in the Asia-Pacific region, but authorities threaten to ban this habit for health reasons – a decision that sparked the anger of growing legions of aficionados.
(MOHD RASFAN / AFP / Getty Images)
A man smokes an electronic cigarette in the Vape Lab coffee bar on August 27, 2014 in London, England. The Ministry of Health has ruled out the outlawing of "e-cigs" in confined spaces in England, despite calls by the WHO and the World Health Organization. The WHO has recommended the ban on smoking inside electronic cigarettes as part of a stricter regulation of dangerous products for children.
(Photo by Dan Kitwood / Getty Images)
This photo taken on November 19, 2015 shows a worker (R) inspecting a coil, the metal heating element of an electronic cigarette that produces steam from fruit juice, in a steam treatment shop in Kuala Lumpur. Vaping's is increasingly popular in Malaysia, the largest electronic cigarette market in the Asia-Pacific region, but authorities threaten to ban this habit for health reasons – a decision that sparked the anger of growing legions of aficionados.
(MOHD RASFAN / AFP / Getty Images)
A woman smokes an electronic cigarette during Vapexpo 2015 in Moscow, at the Sokolniki Exhibition Center, on December 5, 2015 in Moscow, Russia.
(Photo by Sefa Karacan / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images)
A customer smokes an electronic cigarette at Digital Ciggz on January 28, 2015 in San Rafael, California. The California Department of Public Health today released a report that qualifies e-cigarettes as a "threat to health" and suggests that they should be regulated like regular cigarettes and tobacco products.
(Photo by Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
The electronic cigarettes are sold at the V-Revolution electronic cigarette store in Covent Garden on August 27, 2014 in London, England. The Ministry of Health has ruled out the outlawing of "e-cigs" in confined spaces in England, despite calls by the WHO and the World Health Organization. The WHO has recommended the ban on smoking inside electronic cigarettes as part of a stricter regulation of dangerous products for children.
(Photo by Dan Kitwood / Getty Images)
In this photo, a man smokes an electronic cigarette at the V-Revolution electronic cigarette store in Covent Garden on August 27, 2014 in London, England. The Ministry of Health has ruled out the outlawing of "e-cigs" in confined spaces in England, despite calls by the WHO and the World Health Organization. The WHO has recommended the ban on smoking inside electronic cigarettes as part of a stricter regulation of dangerous products for children.
(Photo by Dan Kitwood / Getty Images)
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"It was scary to think of that – this little device hurt my lungs," he said.
Hergenreder is one of about 500 Americans who have been diagnosed with a mysterious vaping-related lung disease that has so far killed at least six people. An investigation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not yet found any specific cause for the disease, but it has identified a link with the use of the electronic cigarette.
The situation reached the White House on Wednesday when the Trump government announced its intention to ban the sale of flavored electronic cigarettes. These cartridges – which often have fruity flavors like strawberry lemonade and mango – are thought to contribute to vaping in adolescence.
This was the case for Hergenreder, who told CNN that he had started vaping because "it was good". He said he began buying cartridges at gas stations while he was a minor, pointing out that he did not hold a card for these purchases.
Hergenreder and his mother, Polly Hergenreder, took advantage of this situation to denounce the vaping of minors, while Polly went on Facebook to warn other parents of the risks.
"Juul, it's the DEVIL! If you love me and want to know what to do, share this message! Come see your kids see my son fight to breathe!" Polly said in a Facebook post last week.
Polly also said that she was grateful for catching the disease because it could have been even worse.
"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 be dead," Polly told CNN.
Adam told CNN that he was already convinced by some of his friends to stop fleeing, claiming that he wanted to use his story to help others.
"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."
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