RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 E-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) masquerading as COVID-19
JF BMJ Case Reports
JO BMJ Case Reports
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP e243885
DO 10.1136/bcr-2021-243885
VO 14
IS 7
A1 Ganne, Nandita
A1 Palraj, Raj
A1 Husted, Elizabeth
A1 Shah, Ishan
YR 2021
UL http://casereports.bmj.com/content/14/7/e243885.abstract
AB SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus causing COVID-19, has caused a global pandemic resulting in over 4 million deaths globally (data current as of 14 July 2021). E-cigarette or vaping product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) is a type of acute lung injury of unclear pathogenesis. The two pathologies present with overlapping clinical symptoms, laboratory values and imaging, making them difficult to distinguish, especially in the setting of a global COVID-19 pandemic. We present the case of a 32-year-old woman treated for COVID-19 despite multiple negative SARS CoV-2 PCR tests and nucleocapsid antibody test. On further investigation, she endorsed use of E-cigarettes and was subsequently diagnosed with EVALI. The patient was treated with oral and intravenous steroids, resulting in significant improvement in her symptoms. This case highlights the challenge of diagnosing rarer aetiologies of respiratory distress during the COVID-19 pandemic.