What Parents Need to Know About E-Cigarettes and Vaping
It's hard to turn on the news and not see a story about the dangers of e-cigarettes or vaping.
As of Aug. 28, 2019, there have been nearly 200 reported incidents of vaping-related illness in 22 states, resulting in at least one death.
Earlier this summer, 17-year-old Tryston spent 18 days in Cook Children's ICU, needing machines to keep him alive. He lost 30 pounds, and had to re-learn to walk normally again because he had no muscle mass in his legs anymore from being bedridden for almost three weeks. He is still coughing at times and feels tired. A clear answer for why his lungs failed him was never found, but doctors believe it was because of his vaping.
"We don't know for sure. But there are literature reports of hypersensitivity pneumonitis from vaping. I told him no inhaling anything again, ever. We still don't know for sure what the trigger was. But it is very plausible that it could be due to his vaping," Suzanne Whitworth, M.D., medical director of Infectious Disease at Cook Children's said.
Tryston was one of a growing number of teens who are vaping. Statistics show 45% of U.S. teens have tried it.
While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says E-Cigarettes may have the potential to benefit adult smokers if used as a complete substitute for regular cigarettes and other smokeless tobacco products, they are not safe for youth, young adults, pregnant women or adults who are currently using tobacco products.
The CDC adds there is "a lot to learn about whether e-cigarettes are effective for quiting smoking" and "if you've never smoked or used other tobacco products or e-cigarettes, don't start."
Diane Arnaout, M.D., a Cook Children's pediatrician in Fort Worth, wrote the first story about Tryston. He was her patient and he asked Dr. Arnaout to get the word out about the potential dangers of vaping.
"And though they claim to be a "healthier option" to regular cigarettes, I beg to differ. Inhaling chemicals is inhaling chemicals. There are over 40 different chemicals in vaping liquids. And they can cause some major damage," Dr. Arnaout wrote. "They can hurt delicate lung tissue. We are seeing more and more reports of teenagers and young adults suffering severe lung injuries and seizures coming out in the news lately.
"I'm really worried about how addictive these things are. Kids who want to quit are finding it more difficult to do so than if they'd smoked a pack a day."
Don Wilson, M.D., an endocrinologist at Cook Children's, has been speaking out about the dangers of e-cigarettes for quite some time. Dr. Wilson, who is an an Endowed Chair of Cardiovascular Health and Risk Prevention, offers this basic information for parents.
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