Constrictive Bronchiolitis — A Possible Adverse Effect of Vaping

Electronic cigarette or vaping–associated lung injury (EVALI) is a well-described, acute syndrome (NEJM JW Gen Med Jun 15 2020 and N Engl J Med 2020; 382:1589), but we know little about the long-term potential adverse effects of e-cigarette use. In this report, researchers describe four patients (age range, 25–65), with 3- to 8-year histories of e-cigarette use, who presented with symptoms consistent with gradually progressive pulmonary disease (e.g., dyspnea, cough, pleuritic chest pain). All patients were former smokers who vaped almost daily at presentation.

Findings on pulmonary function testing were not strikingly abnormal, but on high-resolution computed tomography, all patients had mild bronchial wall thickening plus other nonspecific findings. Most interesting and important were the results of lung biopsy: All patients had constrictive bronchiolitis with subepithelial fibrosis (see Figure. opens in new tab). No patient had a history of other types of inhalation exposures or other diseases that are known to cause this pathologic finding; additionally, constrictive bronchiolitis is not known to result from cigarette smoking. Three of the patients stopped vaping and reported subjective improvement during several years of follow-up.

https://www.jwatch.org/na54968/2022/06/07/constrictive-bronchiolitis-possible-adverse-effect-vaping?ijkey=5PopvWi5F

Créditos: Comité científico Covid