Vaping caused collapsed lung?

[wossgoinon]

My 18 yr son is currently on a drain in hospital due to a collapsed lung awaiting surgery.

I to pick up clothes for him as he will be in hospital for at least 2 weeks and I found vapes in his drawers.

Is there evidence to suggest that vaping may have caused this?

he is young, fit and well otherwise and this is a complete shock

My tall (6ft2?) and very very slim cousin had a collapsed lung purely due to being very tall and slim! (Male)

you are forgetting that there are a lot of vaping products sold illegally that haven't been through any sort of testing! in addition, research is in its infancy, theres a paucity of long term studies and the research picture is highly confused anyway as vaping is intended to be a tool to help people kick smoking not for young people to start vaping as an addiction in itself, which is what is happening. The messaging is a mess as the gov don't want to deter smokers from moving to vaping which gives them a problem when trying to deter young people from taking up vaping in the first place. Some vapers are being exposed to very high levels of nicotine and being a teenager exposed to such an addictive drug plays havoc with your neural pathways.

Exactly what happened with my ex. 2 spontaneous lung collapses. Skinny male, although not tall. Just... Very thin

This happened to a friend of mine at uni, long before vaping. He was very lanky but didn't smoke anything at all.

He made a full recovery and hasn't had any problems since.

Happened to a very tall young male relative.
No smoking/vaping.
Not unheard of apparently.

Sorry about your son OP, I hope he makes a good recovery.

This happened to my (tall, skinny) friend over twenty years ago. He made a good recovery and is the only reason I know of the link between being tall, skinny and male and spontaneous lung collapse.

Going forwarded vaping is obviously not a great idea though I doubt it could be pinpointed as a full on cause. I’d also be cautious of any home pollution (dust, sprays, smoke/fumes from cooking) for a few months to allow him the best possible circumstances for recovery.

I know a tall skinny 18yo who had a collapsed lung.
anyway, vaping is an absolutely terrifying thing. In the petrol station near me, the vapes are lined up in beautiful rainbows. People think it’s ok. It’s so far from ok.
I hope your ds recovers well - but more vaping is an absolute no no

What's so far from ok, the vapes being lined up in beautiful rainbows or vaping in itself?

Sorry for not replying. He is now at Harefield and the surgery is tomorrow. I know that they think they are adults but I am so worried.

I just need to keep calm

make sure you tell the doctors, and show them those items if possible.
it is relevant medical history.
they can be v dangerous.
should be banned or at least severely restricted.
good luck to your son tomorrow.

How does this help the OP?

She's worried that vaping may have harmed her son and you turn up and suggest it might not even be a legal vape and it could have had anything in it!!!

Yes, it's possible but it's not very likely at all so why would you do that? (if you're worried about this OP, post some photos of what you found.)

There are whole books that could be written about public health's response to vaping, in the UK and around the world, messaging decisions, quitters vs. never smokers, various interest groups, good science and bad science bla bla. I would be happy to join in a thread about those issues but not on this thread. I don't suppose OP has much headspace for those kinds of discussions right now.

OP's child is in hospital and she needs accurate information.

Here is some:

Most of the posts on this thread are awful. You see the word 'vaping' and you just can't help yourselves, can you?

Someone even dredged up 'popcorn lung' ffs! That's been a useless turd that won't flush since 2015:

tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/12/new-study-finds-that-average-diacetyl.html

I don't think this level of scaremongering is normal for a thread started by a worried mother whose child is in hospital. I don't even think this level of scaremongering would happen on a thread about someone's child in hospital who had been smoking.

Good luck to your son for his surgery. I hope it goes well and he makes a speedy recovery

Thank you xx it’s early morning so hopefully everything will be well by lunch time

I'll be thinking of you and your son xx

Hope he recovers quickly x

What it comes down to OP is that our lungs are meant to process oxygen and expel Co2. Breathing in the nicotine, flavourings, colours and numerous chemicals contained in vaping aerosols is of course going to damage your lungs.

I expect, at the very least, vaping will have been a contributing factor to your son's collapsed lung.

Young people (especially men) with very tall, slim builds (I.e. marfanoid) are also prone to spontaneous pneumothoraces - without vaping or trauma.

I've been vaping for 9 years this year and have never had as much as a cough but these comments have frightened the life out of me! I just can't stop I've tried so many times because it's such a pointless thing to be spending money on but I'm addicted.

However, If I wasn't vaping I would be smoking cigarettes which are alot worse,, the smell of cigarettes lingers for hours whereas my vape barely smells. As I said I never have a cough and it's alot cheaper than smoking. I also don't drink alcohol at all so this is my only vice but I would love to quit as its completely pointless and as other said the lungs are for breathing oxegen not vape oil, but im holding onto the fact that its a hell of alot safer than smoking cigarettes and I know that 100%. But yeah pure oxegen would be the best option of course.

I hope your son makes a speedy recovery OP

Pure oxygen would definitely kill you!

Oh 🤣🤣🤣🤣 can you tell I failed science? 🤣

Apparently this can happen in young slim men ?
I.know it's very worrying my 16 year old son has just spent the last two.and half weeks in critical care fo r acute pancreatitis ,very unsual.in a boyt his age ,but sometimes these things just happen .

What makes you an expert on vaping, your ego?

The ludicrous Express article at the top has somehow managed to include a really sensible statement from one of the UK's leading public health experts on vaping.

This is worth reading @wossgoinon :

Speaking to Express.co.uk, John Britton, Emeritus Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Nottingham, said: "Vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking tobacco. It is believed to be around 1/20th of the risk.

"If you are a smoker, it's a no-brainer to switch to vaping. Vaping is a godsend for smokers. But if you don't smoke tobacco or use nicotine, you would be mad to start vaping."

Prof Britton continued: "It’s not likely her lungs could collapse from vaping. They happen spontaneously. It can happen from illness. They are rare but they happen and they often happen in tall, slender people. It’s entirely plausible that she vapes and has a collapsed lung but it’s unlikely the vapes caused that. If she was a smoker and switched to vapes, it’s more likely caused by that.

"Smoking causes damage to the lung and when you cough or sneeze you can then burst the lung. It’s more common in men than women but this is highly likely to be a spontaneous thing or she’s had an episode of infection.

"No doubt vaping will kill some people but it's going to be trivial numbers compared to those who die from smoking tobacco.

"The vape liquid market is regulated in the UK. If you’re buying from a legitimate source, you’re getting something that will be okay."

No.... Breathing in anything other than basic air in large quantities is obviously not good for your lungs.

My grandfather had severely damaged lungs (COPD) from working in a paper mill back in the 70's.
Great Aunt died from lung cancer from smoking.
My mother developed asthma in her 40s from working with chemicals.

Vaping is relatively new in terms of long term research but it stands to reason that as it is not oxygen it isn't good for us to breathe in.

Also... my ego?

i was replying to your post stating all vaping products have gone through the requisite hoops which is untrue..... i am presuming you are either a. a vaper b. own a vape shop or c. have some other vested interest.
I cared for patients dying from smoking related illnesses and other respiratory illnesses for many years , for smokers if they can't quit any other way of course vaping is the preferable option. This is not the same as saying vaping is therefore ok for kids who have never smoked............I've no wish for anyone's child to end up in hospital because of a respiratory illness so please give your head a wobble.
The tobacco industry supressed research and confused debate around how harmful tobacco is for many years and, surprise surprise, the tobacco industry is also involved in vape production so please be aware of bias!!!