Vape smoking is the second hospitalisation of a 14-year-old girl to the Children’s Medicine Centre in a year. Okhmatdyt Hospital
An allergist emphasises that vaping is not a safe alternative to regular cigarettes.
The child was admitted to hospital with complaints of shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. She said that she had smoked a vape the day before. She received first aid at the local hospital in the Lviv region, where she lived, and was referred to the Centre for Children’s Medicine.
Specialists found out that the girl had an allergy that caused such a severe reaction after smoking vapes.
“Without external stimuli, i.e. smoking e-cigarettes, this reaction might not have happened. However, against the background of smoking, she very quickly develops signs of respiratory failure,” said Ruslana Prots, an allergist at the Centre.
Last year, the girl was already treated at OKHMATDYT after smoking vapes. Back then, she was in a much more serious condition, with severe respiratory failure and needed oxygen therapy.
“We explained to the girl and her parents that smoking e-cigarettes is dangerous for health. She had to give up vaping. Unfortunately, after discharge, the girl continued to smoke, although she assured us that it was rare. However, the dynamics of her condition shows that it happened quite often,” the Centre’s allergist added.
The girl underwent bronchospastic therapy and was discharged home in a satisfactory condition, but she will have to take anti-inflammatory and basic corticosteroid therapy for a long time.
The allergist emphasises that vaping is not a safe alternative to regular cigarettes. It can cause bronchial asthma, chronic lung disease, etc. It is especially dangerous for children and adolescents, whose bodies are still developing and are more sensitive to harmful effects.