The main symptoms of popcorn lung are a dry cough and shortness of breath. These show up between 2 weeks and 2 months after you've been around a toxic gas or had an illness. You're especially likely to have them when you're exercising or doing heavy labor.
While the name "popcorn lung" may not sound like a threat, it's a serious lung disease that causes coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath, similar to the symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
A chest X-ray or computed tomography (CT) scan is usually necessary for diagnosis and will show hazy looking spots (called opacities) in the lungs. This contrasts with a clear back space in healthy lungs. Your doctor may also order bloodwork to rule out other possible causes of your illness.
Understanding whether the lungs can heal from any damage vaping might cause may depend on the extent and type of damage. The lungs can regenerate some damaged tissue . However, when damage is too extensive, it may be permanent.
“We also observed that when patients ceased vaping, they had a partial reversal of the condition over one to four years, though not complete due to residual scarring in the lung tissue.”
The source of diacetyl and AP in e-liquids is the flavorings used to make them. The most obvious ones are e-juices with buttery flavors, like custards and other sweet desserts. But some candy- and fruit-flavored e-liquids and even tobacco flavors can also contain diketones like diacetyl.
Popcorn lung (bronchiolitis obliterans) is an uncommon type of lung disease, but it is not cancer. It's caused by a build-up of scar tissue in the lungs, which blocks the flow of air.
The lung damage he has seen in patients is the equivalent to someone smoking cigarettes for decades. "It literally can kill you the first time you try it," he says.
If You've Vaped Too Much...
The most common and least serious situation is being nauseous or having a headache after vaping too much. Usually, if you stop vaping you'll feel better soon. It is key, though, to stop as soon as you feel any symptoms - if you try and power through it you'll only feel worse.
1: Vaping is less harmful than smoking, but it's still not safe. E-cigarettes heat nicotine (extracted from tobacco), flavorings and other chemicals to create an aerosol that you inhale. Regular tobacco cigarettes contain 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic.
Primary medication treatments include antibiotics and/or antivirals until infection is ruled out as well as corticosteroids to help fight inflammation in the lungs. Patients with more severe cases will need hospitalization and, because they may be unable to breathe on their own, could be placed on a ventilator.
Results of a lung biopsy revealed an area with multinucleated giant cells suggestive of a foreign body reaction to a lipophilic material. Upon cessation of e-cigarette use (known as vaping), the lung nodules disappeared, and the liver lesions regressed.
Try changing your daily routine to avoid “triggers” that cause you to want to vape. It may be best to avoid certain situations in the early stages of quitting. Prepare for cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Learn about stress-reducing activities like meditation or taking a brisk walk to keep yourself busy.
The principal types of flavorings that use diacetyl are dairy flavors, particularly butter flavorings but also cheese, milk, and yogurt. Diacetyl is sometimes an ingredient in the so-called brown flavors such as caramel, butterscotch, and coffee flavors.
In a 2015 Harvard study, over 75% of flavored vapes that were studied contained diacetyl. Diacetyl was banned from vape products sold in the European Union in 2016. Other flavoring chemicals used in vape products, like acetoin and acetyl propionyl, may also cause damage to the lungs.
Although most cases of honeycomb lung are seen in chronic lung disease, it can also occur in a minority of patients with acute interstitial pneumonia and diffuse alveolar damage [31, 32]. This disease is progressive by the day or week, and the result is often fatal.
WHY DO YOU COUGH WHEN YOU VAPE? There are a few reasons why you might cough when you vape that include a damaged or faulty vape atomizer, incorrect set up of your vape device, poor quality e-liquid, high levels of nicotine or propylene glycol (PG) and using the incorrect inhale technique on your device.
Vaping can also cause lung inflammation, which has been linked to chronic lung disease as well. “Dangerous chemicals found in e-cigarettes include acetaldehyde and formaldehyde, which have been associated with heart disease in addition to lung disease.”
Vaping and Popcorn Lung
Diacetyl is frequently added to flavored e-liquid to enhance the taste. Inhaling diacetyl causes inflammation and may lead to permanent scarring in the smallest branches of the airways — popcorn lung — which makes breathing difficult. Popcorn lung has no lasting treatment.