Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2024 Aug 21;16(8):e67422.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.67422. eCollection 2024 Aug.

E-Cigarette-Associated Acute Severe Asthma in a Smoking-Naïve Adolescent: A Case Report

Lucas Küppers  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

E-Cigarette-Associated Acute Severe Asthma in a Smoking-Naïve Adolescent: A Case Report

Lucas Küppers. Cureus. .

Abstract

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have become a prevalent phenomenon among adolescents and young adults, particularly as a perceived less harmful alternative to traditional tobacco cigarettes. A number of potential health risks associated with e-cigarettes have been identified, including links to cardiovascular diseases, asthma, and cancer. Given that adolescents have not yet completed their physical development, they are particularly susceptible to adverse health effects associated with e-cigarettes. This case report details the presentation of a healthy 16-year-old female patient who developed her first episode of acute severe asthma and a concomitant lower respiratory tract infection in a primary care practice setting. Prior to the onset of her symptoms, the smoking-naïve patient intermittently shared a nicotine-containing e-cigarette with a friend over a three-day period. Following outpatient treatment with inhaled corticosteroids, beta-2 agonists, and antibiotics, the asthma and lower respiratory tract infection were found to be reversible within the first week of treatment initiation. It is imperative that preventive measures at the political level be implemented to counteract the appeal and use of e-cigarettes among adolescents.

Keywords: e-cigarette use in adolescents; e-cigarettes; health risks of e-cigarettes and vaping; primary care; severe asthma; smoking prevention.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Initial PFT showing a flow-volume loop typical for obstruction with an FEV1 of 30%.
PFT: pulmonary function testing, FEV1: forced expiratory volume in one second.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Second PFT after inhalation of SABA resulted in an increase of FEV1 to 35%.
PFT: pulmonary function testing, SABA: short-acting β2-agonist, FEV1: forced expiratory volume in one second.
Figure 3
Figure 3. PFT after five days of treatment initiation showing an almost normal flow-volume loop with an FEV1 of 83%.
PFT: pulmonary function testing, FEV1: forced expiratory volume in one second.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. A decade of e-cigarettes: limited research & unresolved safety concerns. Kaisar MA, Prasad S, Liles T, Cucullo L. Toxicology. 2016;365:67–75. - PMC - PubMed
    1. UK Government "swap to stop" plan to cut smoking rates. Wilkinson E. Lancet Oncol. 2023;24:437. - PubMed
    1. The e-cigarettes ban in India: an important public health decision. Chakma JK, Kumar H, Bhargava S, Khanna T. Lancet Public Health. 2020;5:426. - PubMed
    1. The global prevalence of E-cigarettes in youth: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis. Salari N, Rahimi S, Darvishi N, Abdolmaleki A, Mohammadi M. Public Health Pract (Oxf) 2024;7:100506. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Electronic cigarette use among adults in 14 countries: a cross-sectional study. Pan L, Morton J, Mbulo L, Dean A, Ahluwalia IB. eClinicalMedicine. 2022;7:1–11. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources