A Missouri man died in a St. Louis hospital due to a vaping-related lung injury — the first fatality linked to e-cigarettes in that state and the eighth nationwide, public health officials reported Thursday.
In a news release from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, officials said the man, in his mid-40s, had normal lung function before he started vaping in May.
He developed mild respiratory symptoms that worsened and he was hospitalized on Aug. 22, then transferred on Sept. 4 to Mercy Hospital St. Louis, where he died.
“This is an unfortunate case of a young man with no prior lung illness who started vaping because of chronic pain issues,” Dr. Michael Plisco, Mercy critical care pulmonologist said in a statement.
“He started out with shortness of breath and it rapidly progressed and deteriorated, developing into what is called acute respiratory distress syndrome. Once the lungs are injured by vaping, we don’t know how quickly it worsens and if it depends on other risk factors.”
The CDC has recommended that smokers stop using e-cigarette products while an investigation is underway. A week ago, the CDC stated its initial findings from the probe point to clinical similarities among those affected.
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