1 Confirmed, 3 Suspected Cases Of Mysterious Lung Illness Among Vape Users In Colorado

DENVER (CBS4) - There are now one confirmed and three suspected cases of a mysterious lung illness linked to vaping in Colorado. Although all are adults from the Front Range, the confirmed case is a young adult.

Illinois reported the first death in the nation linked to vaping on Friday.

The severe respiratory illness blamed for that person's death has now sickened at least three in Colorado. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said the first case was reported on Tuesday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating what's making people sick but at this point the agency says it hasn't linked a specific vaping product to the illness.

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, all patients reported using vaping liquids or oils that contained either nicotine, marijuana, CBD, synthetic marijuana, or a combination. Symptoms of these vape-related lung illnesses include:

• Shortness of breath or trouble breathing
• Chest pain
• Cough
• Fatigue
• Possible fever

Colorado is among the top states for treating tobacco addiction, but it leads the nation in teen vaping. It's estimated in 2018 there were 3.6 million high school and middle school students nationwide using a kind of electronic cigarette.

In July, National Jewish Health launched My Life, My Quit, a cessation program specifically for teens who want to stop using tobacco products, including electronic cigarettes and vapes. So far, about 100 teens have enrolled in the program services.

"They're coming into the line with high levels of nicotine dependence, so they're really needing a lot of help to be able to stop. They're using it first thing in the morning. They're having to use it during school hours, even in the classroom," said Dr. Thomas Ylioja, clinical director of Health Initiatives at National Jewish Health.

Colorado QuitLine coaches have helped more than one million adults stop smoking tobacco, but they have gotten very few calls from teens during the first month of My Life, My Quit. Coach Nicole Lopez gets up to 20 QuitLine calls per day, but never more than one call from a teen trying to stop vaping.

"A lot teens don't feel comfortable reaching out. That's why they started the teen line. It's just different for adults," said Lopez.

She said teens are more likely to reach out through the texting My Life, My Quit service.

My Life, My Quit provides free and confidential help from a quit coach specially trained to listen to teens. They get access to live chats with a coach and activities to support quitting and stress relief. Teens have the option of text messaging or calling the toll-free number 1.855.891.9989.

LINK: My Life, My Quit