Warn Your Patients: The ‘Safer’ Cigarette Alternative Has Sickened People in 16 States

E-cigarettes and vaping were promoted by their marketers from the get-go as a safer alternative to traditional tobacco-packed cigarettes. Some companies have suggested their product can be helpful in helping people quit their dangerous addiction. It’s enough to remind one of the mid-20^th Century, when licensed physicians were hired to assure American smokers that one brand was “safer” than another. We all know how that turned out. Now, over the past 2 months alone, respiratory ailments related to vaping either nicotine or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the high-inducing chemical in marijuana) have been reported in 16 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What’s worse, the CDC says, is that many of the patients are teens or young adults. It’s likely the numbers are low, too, as reports of confirmed cases are just starting to trickle in. While federal health officials have yet to pinpoint the exact cause, they say there is no evidence that infectious disease is to blame. It’s suspicious that no one product or device is consistent among users, however. Most of the affected patients were admitted to hospitals with difficulty breathing; many also reported chest pain, vomiting, and fatigue. The most severe cases involved patients with serious lung damage—including some that can look forward to permanently compromised breathing. Despite the unanswered questions, the CDC emphasizes that vaping either cannabis or nicotine can be dangerous. The agency is urging physicians to report suspected cases to state health agencies. Urgent care clinicians should advise patients who vape of this growing phenomenon and probe for any symptoms they could already be experiencing.