A research case report describing lung injury related to e-cigarette use in a 17-year-old Canadian may be the first documented case of a new form of damage from vaping products. The article, published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) provides new evidence on forms of lung injury that can result from vaping.
Recently, several cases of "e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury" (EVALI) have been described. However, this patient presented with a new type of vaping-related injury that is similar to "popcorn lung," a condition seen in workers exposed to the chemical flavouring diacetyl, an ingredient used in microwave popcorn. If inhaled, the chemical causes bronchiolitis, which is characterized by the small airways of the lungs becoming inflamed and obstructed.
team of authors from Lawson Health Research Institute in London, Ontario, and University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto, who were all involved in the care of the patient, report on the case of life-threatening bronchiolitis.
The article describes a previously healthy 17-year-old male who initially presented for care after a week of persistent and intractable cough and was eventually hospitalized and put on life support. After ruling out other causes, the authors suspected flavoured e-liquids as the cause. The youth's family reported that he vaped daily using a variety of flavoured cartridges and used tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) regularly.
"This novel disease pattern of airway injury associated with vaping leading to chronic obstruction appears to be distinct from the alveolar injury characterizing the EVALI cases recently reported in the US, and the 7 confirmed or probable cases in Canada, highlighting the need for further research and regulation of e-cigarettes," writes lead author Dr. Karen Bosma, Associate Scientist at Lawson and Intensivist at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC).