Vaping linked to lung injury in several Midwest cases

(NBC) – Medical experts are sounding the alarm after 22 people across three states were hospitalized lung damage and disease tied to vaping.

Perhaps most alarming is that most were teenagers and young adults.

At Children’s Minnesota, Dr. Emily Chapman treated four teenage patients, ages 16 to 18. “The teenagers that we’ve seen have all presented with what looks like an infection,” she explained.

Some had vaped for years others, months and their symptoms didn’t respond to initial treatments.

“They have progressed to have significant difficulty with their breathing and increasing lung distress,” Dr. Chapman said. “They’ve ended up needing our intensive care unit.”

Illinois reports six similar cases. Wisconsin officials have confirmed 12, mostly young people, and are investigating at least 13 more.

Dr. Manar Alsharourni, a pulmonologist with Prevna Health, said, “I think we’ll be making more of this diagnosis”

According to the CDC, young people are most likely to use e-cigarettes, estimating three-and-a-half million high school and middle school students vape.

The long term effects are still being studied but health experts say what they’ve learned so far is concerning.

Dr. Christy Sadreameli with the American Lung Association said, “They contain heavy metals, ultra-fine particles, benzene, many toxic chemicals. We also know that vape aerosols can impact alveoli development, which is lung development and growth, which is still happening in adolescents.”

A warning from medical experts to teens: “You’re taking a lot of risks,” Dr. Christy Sadreameli said. “Risk of lifelong addiction, risk of permanent lung damage.”

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