Long-term symptoms in patients with EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping associated lung injury) compared with people who vape

Abstract

Introduction: The long-term outcomes in patients with EVALI compared with people who vape remain unknown.

Aim: To determine whether patients with EVALI at 12 months following diagnosis had cognitive, respiratory, and activities of daily living (ADL) impairments compared with matched controls who vape but did not have EVALI.

Methods: We included all patients with a history of EVALI who completed a 12-month survey of relevant questions in the national Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/index.html). We matched our EVALI patients to the 2020 BRFSS respondents who reported vaping on geography, month, age, and sex. We compared differences in responses re: cognitive impairment, dyspnea, and ADLs.

Results: Fifty-four patients with EVALI completed the BRFSS survey at 12 months, and 131 matched controls from 2020 were included. Patients with EVALI had a mean age of 29.5 +/− 9.2 years, 33% female, 89% White and 20% Hispanic.

Overall, patients with EVALI were more likely to report cognitive (46.3% vs. 22.9%, p = 0.003), dyspnea (22.2% vs. 5.3%, p = 0.002), and ADL impairments (16.7% vs. 1.5%, p<0.001) compared with controls (Figure).

Conclusions: Long-term impairment in cognitive function, dyspnea, and activities of daily living remain among patients with EVALI compared with matched controls who vape but did not have EVALI.