Fifth death from lung illness tied to vaping

WASHINGTON — Health officials said Friday that a fifth person has died from a mysterious lung illness tied to vaping.

There are now 450 possible cases in 33 states and one territory, five deaths, and one death under investigation, they said.

What’s happening

Amid the rising case counts, physicians and health officials in states with the earliest and largest number of cases published detailed descriptions of the acute lung disorder in people who vape in a series of articles in the New England Journal of Medicine and described the trend as “worrisome.”

Why it matters

Although federal and state officials said the definitive cause remains unknown, “the severity of the illness and the recent increase in the incidence of this clinical syndrome indicates that these cases represent a new or newly recognized and worrisome cluster of pulmonary disease related to vaping,” according to health department officials in Wisconsin and Illinois.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that no consistent e-cigarette products have been linked to the disorder, and that while some victims used marijuana-based products, some report using only nicotine products.

Searching for a cause

No specific device or substance has been linked to all the cases. The Food and Drug Administration is analyzing samples collected from patients across the country and is testing them for a broad range of chemicals, including nicotine, THC and “cutting agents” to dilute solutions and other substances.