Throat irritation associated with e-cigarette use: a case report

Beatriz Nascimento Figueiredo Lebre Martins; César Augusto Migliorati; Alessandro Villa

doi:10.5327/2525-5711.320

Autores/as

Beatriz Nascimento Figueiredo Lebre Martins State University of Campinas, Piracicaba Dental School, Oral Diagnosis Department – Piracicaba (SP), Brazil. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5957-1295
César Augusto Migliorati University of Florida, College of Dentistry, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Diagnostic Sciences – Gainesville, FL, USA. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2535-2606
Alessandro Villa Miami Cancer Institute, Baptist Health South Florida – Miami, FL, USA. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1966-6000

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5327/2525-5711.320

Palabras clave:

E-cigarettes, Vaping, Sore throat, Substance-related disorders

Resumen

Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) is a device popular among non-smoker young adults. We report a case of a patient with the complaint of acute throat irritation secondary to chronic vaping. A 23-year-old male, without a significant past medical history, presented to the emergency department complaining of sore throat. The patient tested negative for Streptococcus (group A strep) and sexually transmitted infections. Due to persistent throat symptoms, he went to the Oral Medicine and Oral Oncology Clinic, at Miami Cancer Institute. He was an avid e-cigarette user, taking the maximum number of puffs from his device in a single day. The intraoral examination revealed erythema of the posterior oropharyngeal wall. The patient was diagnosed with pharyngitis secondary to vaping and instructed to discontinue the use of e-cigarette until the next visit. At 1-month follow-up the patient reported successfully quitting vaping, and had a complete resolution of the throat symptoms, with resolution of the oropharyngeal erythema. This case illustrates the importance of documenting patients’ vaping habit. This information was essential to better understand the source of the throat irritation in the patient. We encourage dental professionals to document patients' vaping habits, educate them about e-cigarettes and the possible complications associated with the habit.

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