Citation

Rimmer A, Iacobucci G. BMJ 2019; 366: l5320.

Affiliation

The BMJ.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/bmj.l5320

PMID

31467143

Abstract

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating whether a death and almost 200 cases of severe lung illness are related to electronic cigarette use. Abi Rimmer and Gareth Iacobucci explore the situation in the US and the UK

How many cases have there been?
On 23 August the CDC reported that a patient had died after being hospitalised with an unexplained respiratory illness after reported vaping or e-cigarette use. The case is the first death linked to vaping to be reported in the US and followed a spate of reports of severe lung illness which officials said were linked to vaping. As of 23 August, 193 cases of severe lung illness had been reported by 22 states.1

How old are those affected?
In Illinois, the patient that died was an adult, officials said, but other patients in the state were aged between 17 and 38 and most have been …

Language: en