What Ever Happened to the Vaping Lung Disease?

[mcduffy]

What Ever Happened to the Vaping Lung Disease?

“We had close to 40 cases altogether, between the months of June to December of 2019. And then, just like with the rest of the country, we then saw a pretty rapid decrease, even starting around September, October,” said Aleksandr Kalininskiy, a pulmonary and critical care fellow at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York. Kalininskiy and his colleagues were some of the first doctors to publish case reports on the patients afflicted with the condition.
...
Though the CDC said it would stop tracking the reporting of vaping-related illness in February 2020, local public health agencies and doctors continue to report their own cases. In June, doctors from California described eight patients who became sick from vaping in April. In July, Minnesota health officials sent out a warning to health care providers, after 11 suspected victims had recently been identified. And Kalininskiy says that the University of Rochester Medical Center has seen at least six probable cases this year.

These newer cases have been harder to find in part due to the covid-19 pandemic, since the two conditions can present similar symptoms. The pandemic is also likely one reason why the CDC decided to stop tracking these cases, constrained by limited resources.

The framing seems to have worked a bit too well. A Morning Consult poll in February 2020 found that two-thirds of Americans at least partly blamed e-cigarettes for the recent vaping-related deaths caused by lung damage, while only 28 percent correctly pointed the finger at tainted THC products. These results were actually worse than a poll taken in September 2019, when a smaller percentage blamed e-cigarettes and more blamed THC.
...
“We’ve seen aspects of the industry raise their hand and say, ‘We invite scrutiny, we invite regulation. We are tired of counterfeiters and poisoners running circles around our good-faith efforts,’” Downs said.

As for the survivors of VAPI/EVALI, the news is good and bad. Most of the patients that doctors like Kalininskiy have seen months after their initial symptoms seem to have recovered without lingering problems. Yet, he notes that other researchers have found reduced lung function in recovered patients—the sort of disrepair that could raise survivors’ risk of future health problems. According to Matthew McGraw, a doctor and pediatric pulmonologist at the University of Rochester Medical Center, it’s almost certainly in the best interest of VAPI/EVALI patients to never pick up vaping again.

 

[somdcomputerguy]

What Ever Happened to the Vaping Lung Disease?

<snark>It just listened to the POTUS and 'went away'.</snark>

 

[SupplyDaddy]

Well, since it had nothing to really do with normal vaping.....

 

[tokarev]

Once it became obvious that it was black market THC cartridges and not nicotine the media lost all interest. So did the politicians.

 

[somdcomputerguy]

Once it became obvious that it was black market THC cartridges and not nicotine the media lost all interest. So did the politicians.

Unfortunately, some lawmakers around the world still use it as basis..

 

[kayakiit]

Unfortunately, some lawmakers around the world still use it as basis..

It's unfortunate that this still happens and that so many people still fall for it.

 

[r77r7r]

I try to think of all the things I fall for personally because of trusting media and the science community.