European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

E-CIGARETTE OR VAPING PRODUCT USE ASSOCIATED LUNG INJURY (EVALI): A CASE REPORT

Daniel Kasho Williams, Gulafshan Khatoon*, Bolude Oludele Oluwade, Mehwish Ajaz, Tolulope A. Babalola, Bann Qadoura and Udochukwu Igweze

ABSTRACT

Vaping is a process that occurs by heating liquids containing substances such as nicotine, cannabinoids, and other additives like glycerol or vitamin E.[1] Most of the use is reported in the male population, with a male to female predominance of 2:1, and the majority of patients were reported to age less than 35 years.[2] E-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI), initially recognized in 2019, is becoming one of the leading causes of lung damage in the young adult population.[2] EVALI, a form of acute lung injury, presents pathologically as a spectrum of disease processes such as acute fibrinous pneumonitis, diffuse alveolar damage, or organizing pneumonia accompanied by bronchiolitis.[3] Most of the injury appears to be chemical in nature, and superadded viral or bacterial infections are rare as most of the testing of E-cigarettes fluids showed no bacterial contamination.[4] The tetrahydrocannabinol products are most commonly implicated in causing vaping-induced lung injury in almost 75 to 80% of the cases.[5] However, vitamin E and nicotine have also been found to be possible contributors to lung injury as well.[6] Most patients with EVALI present with respiratory symptoms, including shortness of breath and cough, along with constitutional symptoms of fever and chills. However, some patients have also presented with chest pain, hemoptysis, and gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.[2,5] Here, we present a case of a young female who presented with EVALI after vaping tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

Keywords: .