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Update on E-cigarette Vaping Associated Lung Disease.

States with Reported Cases of EVALI

Disclaimer: The information contained in this post is up to date as of this writing. For the latest information, visit the CDC website on outbreak of ecigarette related vaping associated lung injury.

In September of 2019, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and the Illinois Department of Public Health published the results of their investigation into a new clinical syndrome. This initial series involved a cluster of 53 cases of ecigarette vaping associated lung injury (EVALI). Since the initial study, the syndrome was found to be a national epidemic. Nearly 1900 people have been affected by vaping associated lung disease, there have been 37 deaths. Cases have been reported in all states except Alaska.

Case Definition: The first step in evaluating a new disease is determining the characteristics that make up that disease. In the case of EVALI, CDC has issued this publication to define cases of Confirmed or Probable EVALI for surveillance purposes. In general, this involves the presence of pulmonary infiltrates in the presence of vaping in the past 90 days and in the absence of infection or other plausible causes.

Presenting Symptoms: Interestingly, patients with EVALI appear to present in a number of ways. These include not only respiratory symptoms, but also with constitutional symptoms and gastrointestinal symptoms. In the initial series of patients in Wisconsin and Illinois, all patients had constitutional symptoms at presentation, most commonly subjective fever. Nearly all (98%) had respiratory symptoms at presentation, and 81% had gastrointestinal symptoms, of which nausea and vomiting were most common.

Exposures: While the particular vaping component that leads to EVALI is not yet known, there are a few common factors. 87% of patients with EVALI reported vaping THC, while only a small minority (<15%) reported vaping nicotine without any THC. However as many have pointed out, vaping THC in most states is illegal. In addition many of these patients are under the age of 18, thus it is reasonable to think that many who claimed not to have used THC use simply did not want to divulge that they had. So why would vaping THC lead to EVALI, when people have been smoking THC for decades? Vape liquids contain several chemicals including propylene glycol, terpenoids, cutting agents, and flavorings. These solvents are used to keep THC and other components, such as flavoring agents in solution. These solutions are prepared in different ways in back yards, garages, and back seats, often cut with unknown substances to reduce their cost. They are then sold as cartridges to people who use them in a variety of different vaping devices which themselves which may heat the fluid at different temperatures and for a different duration.

Radiologic Findings: Ct findings are often heterogenous in EVALI. They can include mild infiltrates to diffuse findings suggestive of ARDS/DAD.

Spectrum of radiological findings in EVALI. Presented by Dr. Kevin Davidson M.D. at CHEST2019.
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What do Asthma and COPD inhalers have in common with Mexican food fast food?

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A 67 year old man came to see me recently, he had COPD, and found that it was getting harder to breathe. “I wanted to make sure that I’m on the right inhaler. My doctor switched me from Advair to Breo– is that better?

GSK would certainly say so, in fact their reps often do. Speaking with drug reps about their inhalers often makes me think of food. Actually I think of food quite often, but that’s more of a personal issue. Thinking of inhalers for COPD and asthma make me think of cheap Mexican food, specifically of the fast food variety. I think it has less to do with my poor dietary habits than the fact that I believe expensive inhalers have quite a lot in common with cheap Mexican food. 

Thinking about that patient’s question from the perspective of cheap Mexican fast food, switching from advair to Breo would be like ordering  one beefy rice burrito, only to be provided with two; but they would keep you full all day. Surely that’s an upgrade if there ever was one, and one which I endorsed. The problem though, and the real reason why he was asking, was not because he doubted the expertise of the prescribing physician but something else entirely. “It’s costing me $450 for 3 months. That’s more than triple what  the other one was. I guess I’ll pay for it if you think it’s worth it”

This was an especially unexpected twist, and not of the tasty cinnamon kind. No, that kind of dough busts straight out of the fast food genre into those fancy big-city restaurants, where it’s been said that they don’t even serve french fries. Like, you can’t even order them.  Continue reading “What do Asthma and COPD inhalers have in common with Mexican food fast food?”

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PulmCC COPD Impact Study

The Impact study showed that inhaled steroids reduced the incidence of COPD exacerbation, in contrast to previous studies which suggested that LABA/LAMA combinations (Anoro, Stiolto, Bevespi) reduced exacerbations similar or greater degree. However the study’s findings are not without controversy. Should you prescribe a triple inhaler (Trelegy), or stick with dual LABA/LAMA, or dual LAMA/ICS like Breo, advair? I discuss these issues in our first Pulmonary, Critical Care (PulmCC) Podcast and how Trelegy might fit into the treatment of people with COPD.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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A Dream About U.S. EMR’s; A Reality in th U.K.

I’m back at it again, talking about my continued love/hate relationship with EMR’s. From my conversations with doctors at different hospitals in our region, it seems that most docs appear to be falling into the “hate” column. Meanwhile, I’m still chugging along with the Allscripts Professional EHR that’s been installed in my office. And while it works just fine for the needs of a 3 physician single-specialty outpatient practice, it’s hardly the type of technology that, by itself, can change medical care for the better for a large number of people.

A recent study challenges that notion. In a study published in Chest, researchers in England sought to determine if inhaled steroids are a risk factor for pneumonia among asthmatics. It has already been shown inhaled corticosteroids are associated with an increased risk of pneumonia among patients with COPD. To determine this they looked at a database of medical information known as The Health Information Network (THIN).

In the UK, EMR’s have been in use for years, and general practitioners are encouraged (but not required) to participate in THIN. When a general practice elects to participate in THIN, software is installed in their EMR which runs in the background. The program collects data, while de-identifying it. The anonymized data is then uploaded to THIN, where approved researchers may have access to it.  There is no cost to the practices for participating, and in return for their participation practices not only receive in depth practice metrics, they also receive a percentage of any research revenue generated from the use of the THIN data. At the time that the study was conducted, the database contained data from 9.1 million patients.

But back to the question at hand. From a cohort of 359,172 people with asthma the researchers were able to identify 6857 people with pneumonia, along with 36,312 control subjects.  They were thus able to find a positive correlation between inhaled steroids and pneumonia. (for more on these findings, see my previous post: ) Continue reading “A Dream About U.S. EMR’s; A Reality in th U.K.”

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Remember When We Used to Prescribe Inhaled Steroids for Asthma and COPD?

Press Release: Annual Conference of the Universal College of Chest Physicians October 2085; New Chicago, Mars.

The annual conference enjoyed another record attendance today as attendees flocked to Dr. Ramachandran III’rds keynote address reviewing exploits of physicians in the early part of the century. Dr. Ramachandran highlighted some key decisions and their consequences, such as the ACGME’s decree in 2032 that all residents should be swaddled before their scheduled hourly nap times. This of course led to the now infamous Great Hospital Apocalypses of 2033, 2034, and 2035.

Perhaps nearly as intriguing was the plight of inhaled corticosteroids for the treatment of respiratory diseases like asthma and COPD in the beginning of the 21st century. The period began with greater awareness and concern regarding the use of long acting beta agonist (LABA) bronchodilators such salmeterol. That risk was highlighted by findings published in the SMART trial (access through Chest archives here). There was increased concern regarding the potential harm caused by LABA which culminated in the placement of warnings on medications which contained LABA bronchodilators. These medications, experts said, were to be prescribed with extreme caution because of the possible increase in harm, particularly among children.

Scholars of the early 21st century thus highly recommended that asthmatics, especially children, be started on steroid inhalers before having to resort to using inhaled LABAs. Many also theorized that inhaled steroids had a protective effect when combined with LABA’s, possibly ameliorating their potential danger. Thus many at the time recommended a strategy of not using LABA inhalers at all, unless also simultaneously prescribing an inhaled steroid.

However, problems with this approach started to appear late in the first decade of the century. The TORCH study, a trial using combined inhaled LABA/inhaled steroids in adults with COPD suggested that there was an increased incidence of pneumonia among those treated with inhaled steroids. Early in the second decade a pivotal study then demonstrated that asthmatic children treated with inhaled steroids ended up being about half an inch shorter than they might have otherwise been (interestingly, a later study in 2035  correlated the reduced height with a statistically significant decrease in NBA dunking). Continue reading “Remember When We Used to Prescribe Inhaled Steroids for Asthma and COPD?”

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In Asthma vs. Ozone Layer, Ozone Layer Wins.

 

 

I have a confession to make, it pains me to write this post, about the removal of over-the-counter epinephrine (a.k.a. primatene) inhalers, the only inhaler available to asthmatics without a prescription. I mean, it literally causes me a visceral pain. But it’s not for the reason you might think. It has nothing to do with all the hoopla concerning the politics of right vs. left . Neither is it necessarily the strange notion of telling people that they have to breathe worse, so we can save the ozone layer, so they can breathe better (though you must admit that does sound weird).
No, it has more to do with the simple fact that I (and undoubtedly other physicians as well) hate this inhaler. It is a dangerous, possibly addictive, unforgivably poor substitute for a real asthma regimen, and should have been banned from the market long ago.
And so for me, here’s the painful part; I don’t think that simply removing it from the market is the right thing to do.
Continue reading “In Asthma vs. Ozone Layer, Ozone Layer Wins.”