SACRAMENTO, California — The Tulare County Public Health Department announced Tuesday a 40-year-old man died from complications related to the use of e-cigarettes. His death is the second in California and the 7th in the country.
Dr. Samjot Dhillon is a pulmonologist with Kaiser Permanente and has been treating patients with illnesses related to their use of vaping products.
"The most unfortunate part is that this is a completely preventable cause of death," said Dhillon.
He says symptoms of the disease can vary widely.
"The symptoms may not all be lung related because the initial symptoms could be chest pain, shortness of breath or cough," said Dhillon. "But patients can have other symptoms like [gastrointestinal] symptoms, nausea, vomiting diarrhea and systemic symptoms which could be fever, weight loss, loss of appetite."
Dhillon said the number one symptom though is a shortness of breath.
RELATED:
The group that worries health officials most though are children who are vaping. Yet, most parents don't even know what to look out for when it comes to warning signs.
"It is very important for the parents to be vigilant, to look at different products, to ask their children about this use in the right environment," explained Dhillon. "And also watch out from things that don't make sense."
Some vaping devices are disguised to look like other things, like USB drives. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has an easy-to-read guide for parents so they know the many forms in which vaping devices come.
"I'll recommend be upfront with your children, share what is happening, the side effects, all these complications, and then work with them to help them with this addiction if they have, unfortunately, already developed it," said Dhillon.
He said right now, no one should be vaping.
"We do not know whether it is a certain brand, ingredient, one product or another," said Dhillon. "So at this time, it's safe to presume all kinds of vaping is dangerous so that we do not risk any more additional lives."
Continue the conversation with Mike on Facebook.
