The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that the agency plans on investigating the potential link between e-cigarettes and seizures following reports that revealed close to three dozen seizures that may have been caused by these devices.
The organizations said that it received reports of at least 35 people who experienced seizures after using e-cigarettes between 2010 and 2019. Most of these cases involved kids and young adults, although the FDA can’t say for sure whether or not these devices are directly responsible for the seizures.
“While 35 cases may not seem like much compared to the total number of people using e-cigarettes, we are nonetheless concerned by these reported cases,” outgoing FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb and Principal Deputy Commissioner Amy Abernethy said in a statement.
E-cigarettes “can make the heart beat much faster than normal,” the Poison Center adds. “Severe poisoning can cause seizures. It can even cause death. Seizures can begin only 20-30 minutes after swallowing products containing nicotine.
However, the aforementioned FDA leaders said they wanted to be clear about not knowing if there is a direct relationship between using e-cigarettes and an increased risk for seizures.
