GETTING WORSE

Missouri Man Dies Due to Vaping-Related Illness, Marking Eighth E-Cigarette Death Nationwide

The man had normal lung function before he started vaping in May 2019.

A Missouri man in his mid-40s died this week due to a respiratory illness associated with the use of e-cigarettes, marking the eighth death nationwide attributed to vaping. According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the patient had normal lung function prior to him starting to vape in May 2019. He then developed mild respiratory symptoms that eventually worsened and led to his hospitalization in late August. The department said the man's lungs were unable to provide enough oxygen to the bloodstream and remove enough carbon dioxide, leading to “heart failure and near cardiac arrest.” “Once the lungs are injured by vaping, we don’t know how quickly it worsens and if it depends on other risk factors,” Dr. Michael Plisco, Mercy Hospital St. Louis critical care pulmonologist, said in the release. Since late August, the department said 22 reports of possible vaping-related illness have been reported—with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirming seven of them. Nationwide, 530 of possible cases of e-cigarette lung injury have been reported.