Four more Connecticut residents have become ill with lung injuries possibly related to using e-cigarettes or vaping, according to the state Department of Public Health.
That brings the number of cases reported to the Connecticut Department of Public Health to 38.
One patient remains in the hospital.
The 38 cases involve residents from Fairfield, New Haven, Hartford, New London, Tolland, Litchfield and Windham counties.
Five of the patients are under 18 years of age, 11 are 18 to 24 years old, nine are 25 to 34 years old and 13 are 35 years old or older.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of Oct. 31, a total of 1,888 cases of vaping-related lung injury had been reported from 49 states, the District of Columbia, and 1 U.S. territory.
The CDC also reported 37 deaths had been confirmed in 24 states.
Local
A news release from the state Department of Health says vaping products that contain THC, a psychoactive compound derived from marijuana, seem to play a major role in the outbreak.
Among 25 Connecticut patients interviewed by the Department of Health, 19 reported using THC-containing e-cigarette or vaping products.
However, state officials said, no one compound or ingredient has emerged as the cause of these illnesses to date and it may be that there is more than one cause of this outbreak.
