The lung infection developed by a 17-year-old Canadian after 5 months of intensive vaping is different from those encountered by US health authorities. Indeed, it is not vitamin E (one of the additives in certain liquids for electronic cigarettes) which is responsible for its infection but diacetyl, also present in certain flavored liquids.
A severe form of bronchiolitis
But when the teenager presented to the emergency room in serious condition, his lungs were so damaged he had to be placed on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine, which pumps blood through an artificial lung. located outside the body. Tests showed he was suffering from a form of bronchiolitis called bronchiolitis obliterans, a rare disease seen especially among workers in popcorn factories who inhale diacetyl, an artificial flavoring used in the manufacture of popcorn.
This case appears to be the first recorded infection due to diacetyl. The Canadian teenager narrowly avoided the need for a double lung transplant, doctors said in the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association. But he lost much of his breathing capacity.
Doctors therefore stress the need to continue research on all potentially toxic components of e-liquids and to more strictly regulate the sale of electronic cigarettes.
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