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 Dr Dana Meaney-Delman is leading the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention's investigation into the culprit behind at
least five confirmed deaths and 450 reported cases of lung illness
linked with use of the devices.
The agency is recommending that people refrain from the use of any
electronic cigarette or vaping device until there is more conclusive
evidence of a cause, she said in an interview.
"We're trying to prevent any additional cases and deaths,"
Meaney-Delman said.
She has reviewed data so far from 64 patients, including cases
published on Friday in the New England Journal of Medicine as well
as other reports. Eighty percent of those patients reported the use
of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of
cannabis, she said.
On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned consumers
against using vaping devices bought "on the street" or adding THC
and other substances to products purchased in stores. E-cigarette
manufacturers have distanced themselves from illicit "street vapes"
and stressed that their products don't contain the liquids under
scrutiny.
"We agree with the FDA. If you don't want to die or end up in a
hospital, stop vaping illegal THC oils immediately," said Gregory
Conley, president of the American Vaping Association.
Meaney-Delman said investigators are not yet ready to distinguish
between products. The data she has reviewed show that 60 percent of
patients used both THC and nicotine, while 20 percent reported only
using nicotine in their devices.
"We're absolutely concerned about THC, but there's a large number in
our data that are reporting (use of) both nicotine and THC,"
Meaney-Delman said. "There is no one product, device or substance
that we can point to that is common among all these different
patients."
DOCTORS WEIGH IN
The CDC's view has been reinforced by the American Medical
Association, which on Monday urged consumers to stop using any sort
of electronic cigarette until the investigation yields clear
findings. The AMA called on doctors to inform patients about the
potential dangers of the devices, including toxins and carcinogens.
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An FDA spokesman said on Tuesday the agency has not changed its
recommendation to consumers. The FDA has faced mounting pressure to
curb a surge in teenage use of e-cigarette products. Last year the
number of high school students using e-cigarettes shot up by 78
percent, a trend that coincided with the rising popularity of Juul
e-cigarettes. Juul is 35 percent-owned by Altria Group <MO.N>.
Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb on Monday called for
government regulation of cannabis products in an interview on CNBC,
noting the possible THC link to the illnesses.
Meaney-Delman said state health officials are now going back to
interview all patients about the products they used.
The CDC is also trying to match what its scientists are finding in
tissue and fluid samples taken from patients' lungs with substances
the FDA is identifying in the products used by sick patients.
Meaney-Delman said some of the samples are nicotine products and
some are THC products from a variety of places.
In the meantime, the agency is instructing doctors to start asking
patients about their vaping history and urging patients who vape to
monitor themselves and seek medical attention for symptoms of cough,
shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea and vomiting.
Meaney-Delman said the publication of chest X-rays and CT scans from
affected patients in the New England Journal of Medicine should help
doctors identify additional cases.
"That's helpful so physicians can look at the imaging, which has
been really important to these diagnoses, and compare patients they
have in front of them," she said.
(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Additional reporting by Chris
Kirkham in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Editing by Michele
Gershberg and Cynthia Osterman)
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