A recent study on lung injury associated with the use of e-cigarettes (vaping) indicates that lung illness in affected individuals could be caused by toxic chemicals rather than the inhalation of oily substances.1
Recent reports of vaping-associated pulmonary illness have focused primarily on epidemiology and clinical features. The new study is among the first to describe findings from lung biopsies.
Sanjay Mukhopadhyay, MD, FASCP, the Cleveland Clinic.
“People have been wondering what the underlying biology of these illnesses is,” says Sanjay Mukhopadhyay, MD, FASCP, of the Cleveland Clinic. “That’s where pathology comes in; you want someone with expertise in looking at lung tissue to figure out if these patients are getting some kind of pneumonia.”
Lung biopsies from eight men, aged 19 to 61, with vaping-associated pulmonary illnesses were included in the study. Common symptoms were cough, fever, and shortness of breath. The lung biopsies showed acute lung injury patterns; however, there was no evidence of infection or exogenous lipoid pneumonia, which is typically seen in patients who aspirate oily substances, such as mineral oil, into their lungs.
“This is a new and exciting finding,” Mukhopadhyay says. “We have evidence this is not caused by infection. We know that the pathology of vaping is the pathology of acute lung injury, which happens from any toxin or noxious stimulus that will cause severe damage. And, we have evidence there is no oil-related injury.”
Vaping-related lung illnesses have been rising steadily and are clearly garnering much attention. Although vaping has been around for some time, Mukhopadhyay wonders whether a recent ‘batch’ of vaping materials, especially those containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), might contain some sort of chemical contaminant that is causing the illnesses.
“Our findings indicate there is severe lung damage, but they don’t identify the cause,” Mukhopadhyay says. “The only thing we know is that the patients had a history of vaping before the damage occurred, and we were able to exclude the other possible causes.”
For further information, visit the American Society for Clinical Pathology.
Reference
- Mukhopadhyay S, Mehrad M, Dammert P, et al. Lung biopsy findings in severe pulmonary illness associated with e-cigarette use (vaping): a report of eight cases. Am J Clin Pathol. Epub before print, October 17, 2019; doi:10.1093/ajcp/aqz182.
Featured image:
Biopsy findings shed new light on how vaping affects the lungs. Photo © Pascalkfl courtesy Dreamstime (lD 149082515).
