Doctors and health care providers are seeing a rise in the number of e-cigarette users contracting uncommon e-cigarette side effects, including strains of pneumonia, a phenomenon scientists are investigating.

These e-cigarette users seem to be developing unusual or rare types of lung illness known as lipoid pneumonia and necrotizing pneumonia.

How Bad Can the Side Effects of Vaping Be?

Consumer health news service Healthline says vaping can have adverse effects on the heart, lungs, and cells.

When it comes to the heart, research has shown e-liquid aerosols contain particulates – including nicotine – that, when inhaled, likely affect the heart and circulatory system, Healthline says. And the National Academies Press, or NAP, discovered in a 2018 study that there is “significant evidence that taking a puff from a nicotine e-cigarette triggers an increase in heart rate.”

The NAP team also found moderate evidence that vaping increases blood pressure, which also can impact heart health over time.

An article published in 2018 by the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, and cited in the Healthline report, concluded that “daily vaping is associated with an increased risk of heart attack, even when other lifestyle factors are taken into consideration.”

More research is being conducted into the relationship between vaping and lung damage, much of it spurred by reports of patients seeking treatment from medical professionals.

According to Healthline, the 2018 study measured “the lung function of 10 people who had never smoked cigarettes immediately after vaping fluids with or without nicotine.” The results showed that both kinds of vaping disrupted “normal lung function in otherwise healthy people.”

It will likely be years before researchers can draw definitive conclusions about vaping and lung damage because consumers haven’t been using e-cigarettes long enough to measure the long-term effects.

Evidence that vaping causes cell dysfunction and DNA damage was also found in the 2018 NAP study, both of which are the type of changes linked to the development of cancer, Healthline reported.

Can You Get Pneumonia From Vaping?

In September 2019, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a concerning number of cases of “mysterious” pneumonia from vaping, according to Stat News.

Along with the New England Journal of Medicine, the CDC released case reports on patients treated in Illinois, Wisconsin, Utah, North Carolina, and California. The descriptions of the cases were remarkably similar.

“Many of the people who developed the respiratory illness — which in some cases requires days of mechanical ventilation — admitted to vaping … THC, the main active ingredient in cannabis,” Stat News reported. “Others said they vaped THC and nicotine while some said they only used nicotine products with their e-cigarettes.”

The type of pneumonia involved in the cases was lipoid pneumonia, which is diagnosed when the lungs become laden with lipids, or fats.

Between fall 2019 and spring 2020, the CDC counted more than 2,800 cases of people hospitalized for serious vaping-related respiratory illness. Sixty-eight of them died.

In March, WebMD reported on the case of a 15-year-old girl who said she regularly used e-cigarettes and developed necrotizing pneumonia.

Necrotizing pneumonia is a rare complication that arises from traditional pneumonia. “It destroys areas of lung tissue, and can occur even if someone has been treated with antibiotics,” the WebMD report says.

It’s too early to tell if vaping was the direct cause of the rare pneumonia, but researchers are investigating.

In other cases, vaping associated pulmonary illnesses have presented symptoms that appear like bronchitis or pneumonia, but patients did not respond to typical antibiotic treatments. Treatment for these severe vaping-related lung illnesses can include the use of a ventilator and various kinds of supportive treatment.

Some of those most at risk of vaping-related lung injuries are children and youths, who have been aggressively targeted by vaping industry ads for years.

Now, e-cigarette usage among young people is growing rapidly, with 3.6 million current users among middle and high school students in 2020, per the FDA.

What are the Vaping Pneumonia Symptoms to Look Out For?

Smokers who are concerned about getting pneumonia from vaping will want to look for some common symptoms. The CDC says most patients who develop e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury experience respiratory symptoms, including cough, shortness of breath, or chest pain. Others also experience gastrointestinal symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea. fever, chills, or weight loss.

“Some patients have reported that their symptoms developed over a few days, while others have reported that their symptoms developed over several weeks,” the CDC says.

Will New Vaping Regulations Help?

In the months since the CDC first issued the vaping related lung injuries alert, government officials have been scrambling to respond to the reported danger, and the epidemic of teens vaping nationwide. Federal, state, and local officials have, alternately, enacted new regulations, restrictions, and, in some places, outright bans on various vaping components – most notably, flavored vape pods.

The pods contain liquid that turns to vapor when plugged into an electronic cigarette. Vaping companies have created a booming business of flavored pods, with fruity and candy flavored vape pods attracting a huge customer base.

Research from the Yale School of Public Health indicates that bans may have the opposite of its intended effect.

“Such bans can make vaping more dangerous,” Forbes said of the research. “Banning popular products like cucumber-flavored JUUL pods, regulators drove existing demand for those products to the illicit market – or exactly the kind of sources that caused (vaping related lung injuries) in the first place.”

How Can You Get Help?

Consumers who suspect they have suffered a vaping related lung injury or respiratory illness should seek immediate medical attention.

Those seeking help to quit a vaping habit can find resources from various organizations online, including teen.smokefree.gov and truthinitiative.org.

Healthline recommends setting a date to quit and then going “cold turkey,” as researchers have said it proves more effective than gradually weaning off e-cigarettes. Nicotine replacement products, such as chewing gum and skin patches, are often helpful in breaking the cycle of vaping if nicotine is part of the addiction. Identify and avoid situations that trigger the desire to vape and avoid those if at all possible. It’s also helpful to come up with a game plan for how to handle cravings.

Can You File a Vaping Injury Lawsuit?

If you or someone you love has suffered from a vaping related injury, respiratory illness, or other major side effect of vaping, you may be able to file a lawsuit and pursue compensation. Of course, filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by these kinds of complications, nor can it bring a loved one back to life, but it can at least help to alleviate the financial burden incurred by medical expenses, lost wages, and more, as well as to hold those responsible accountable.

Filing a lawsuit can be a daunting prospect, so Top Class Actions has laid the groundwork for you by connecting you with an experienced attorney. Consulting an attorney can help you determine if you have a claim, navigate the complexities of litigation, and maximize your potential compensation.