#Lunginjury

A recent case from the United States has cast fresh light on the potentially life-threatening risks of vaping, highlighting concerns that are increasingly relevant to Thai health officials and the public. A 39-year-old woman from New York, who believed switching from smoking to vaping would improve her health, was shocked to find herself hospitalized with severe, possibly fatal lung failure just one year after making the change. Her story is not an isolated incident but reflects a broader trend revealed by new research into the health risks associated with e-cigarettes—a habit followed by millions, including a growing number in Thailand.

A recent US case highlights how vaping can pose serious, even life-threatening, health risks. A 39-year-old New York woman, who switched from smoking to vaping, was hospitalized with severe lung failure within a year. Her experience mirrors a broader pattern found in new research on e-cigarettes, a habit adopted by many in Thailand and around the world.

The patient, a long-time smoker who started vaping after quitting cigarettes, developed acute lung complications. She could not lie flat or perform basic tasks, and doctors diagnosed pulmonary bullae—damaged lung tissue that creates large air spaces. Vaping had to stop immediately, and surgery was urgent. She described vaping as “100 percent more dangerous than cigarettes,” warning others about dangers she never anticipated. Experts say this case reflects a common misunderstanding that vaping is a safe alternative, a belief that shapes behaviors and policy.