S2567 Vaping-Induced Duodenal Ulcer

Abstract

Introduction: Vaping, or electronic cigarette use has tremendously increased. It is estimated a population of five million is involved in vaping each year. While lung injury associated with vaping has gained national attention, the systemic burden of vaping has not been established. To date, there is no current report on the prevalence of gastrointestinal symptoms alone in association with vaping, yet it has been reported that 90% of patients who present with lung injury also have gastrointestinal symptoms. This raises the concern that vaping may also result in gastrointestinal injury such as seen with tobacco smoking and use of nicotine products. To our knowledge, vaping has not been shown to be associated with gastrointestinal ulcers or peptic ulcer disease. Case Description/Methods: We report a case of a 19-year-old male who was admitted to the intensive care unit for concern of hemorrhagic shock after presenting with hematemesis from a duodenal ulcer. The patient had no other medical history or known risk factors for peptic ulcer disease. However, he did report a seven-month history of vaping marijuana and THC products through a vaping pen for several hours per day prior to his onset of gastrointestinal symptoms and eventual hematemesis. Patient gastrin levels were normal. Gastric biopsies were negative for H Pylori. He denied using NSAIDS, including BC powders and goody powders. Discussion: This case emphasizes the need for clinicians to obtain a medical history of vaping when assessing patients with gastrointestinal symptoms. Future research in vaping should evaluate if the various compounds in vaping products or if the different methods of vaping can cause adverse gastrointestinal side effects such as ulcers.