CDC Officially Names Vaping Lung Illness EVALI, Provides Accurate Case Count

According to guidelines released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the lung disease affecting e-cigarette users across the United States now has an official name: EVALI. This term stands for "e-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury." Additionally, the CDC has provided a more accurate count of over 1,000 related cases.

The CDC used the name EVALI in a temporary guideline update for healthcare providers released on October 11. This document aims to assist doctors in assessing individuals suspected of having EVALI and provides detailed information on how to manage their condition.

The day after the CDC released the latest data on the EVALI outbreak in the U.S., the guidelines were published. As of October 8, officials had identified 1,299 possible confirmed cases across 49 states. Among these cases, 573 patients reported using e-cigarette products containing nicotine or THC within 90 days of symptom onset.
 
Among patients who could provide details about substances used in the past 90 days, 76% reported using e-cigarette products containing THC, while 32% indicated they only used THC products. Similarly, 58% reported having used nicotine-containing products, with only 13% reporting exclusively using these products.

Additionally, the CDC can now break down patient ages, revealing that 80% of patients are under 35 years old. Among these patients, minors account for 15%, those aged 18 to 20 make up 21%, and those aged 21 to 24 account for 18%. The remaining 80% of patients are aged between 25 and 35. Officials confirmed that EVALI has resulted in 26 deaths across 21 states.