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(Wednesday, August 1, 2018) An article outlining the dangers of vaping, written by four doctors from Guam Regional Medical City, was published in Case Reports in Pulmonology. In their case report, Dr. Michael Agustin, along with Dr. Michele Yamamoto, Dr. Felix T. Cabrera and Dr. Ricardo Eusebio, discuss their findings based on the case of a patient with significant bleeding in to the lungs possibly linked to vaping.
An excerpt from the report states, “We report a case of young male with respiratory failure and later found to have diffuse alveolar hemorrhage syndrome (bleeding into the lungs) that is likely induced by aggressive vaping. After Mayo Clinic confirmed our suspicion upon further review of our lung biopsy, we then submitted the case for publication. This is the first published case report (in the literature) on alveolar hemorrhage secondary to vaping.”
The report also notes the increasing popularity of vaping and electronic cigarettes and the lack of research regarding any associated health-related risks. It further notes that while vaping was designed as a safer alternative to smoking regular cigarettes, there is no evidence to support this and suggests that based on their findings, the opposite may be true.
The case report, which was published on June 7, 2018, also stated the doctors’ goal in publishing the report was “to promote awareness on possible serious complications of this innovative technology designed as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes.”
Case Reports in Pulmonology is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes case reports in all areas of pulmonology, prevention, diagnosis and management of pulmonary and associated disorders, as well as related molecular genetics, pathophysiology, and epidemiology.