A teenager who nearly died after switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes is now telling others that they should avoid vaping.
Nineteen-year-old Ewan Fisher, from Nottingham, decided to switch to an electronic device as a way of stopping his smoking habit, but nearly died after suffering from serious respiratory failure.
Fisher was treated for hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) which is a type of allergic reaction to something that is breathed in.
This reaction causes the lung tissue to inflame and can be incredibly dangerous.
In Ewan's case, the doctors were forced to work around the clock to keep him alive. The medical professionals believe that his problems were caused by vaping.
Dr Jayesh Mahendra Bhatt, a consultant in paediatric respiratory medicine at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, who was one of the doctors that treated Ewan, told the PA: "The evidence we gathered showed that it was that [vaping] that was to blame.
"I know at least one colleague who has seen a similar case."
Despite Public Health England maintaining that vaping is 95 percent safer than smoking, there is a growing interest in the potential health hazards of vaping.
Ewan, who previously smoked, was admitted to the hospital after a persistent cough and difficulties breathing.
He quickly developed respiratory failure, before he required treatment with Ecmo (Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation).
After 10 days, his condition worsened and he needed a long rehab period. Ewan said that he had 'recently started to use e-cigarettes fairly frequently, using two different liquids, purchased over the counter'.
Those two liquids contained the same ingredients, barring an unidentified flavour. Blood samples and skin tests later discovered that one of the two liquids could have been the source of the adverse reaction.
The doctors said: "There are two important lessons here. The first is always to consider a reaction to e-cigarettes in someone presenting with an atypical respiratory illness. The second is that we consider e-cigarettes as 'much safer than tobacco' at our peril."
Ewan told Metro: "It was definitely vaping that made me ill. I had numerous tests which showed it was to blame.
"To people that already smoke, I'd say go to the doctor's for help, don't just switch to vaping. And to all the teenagers that vape and think it's something good, it's really not.
"I wouldn't wish this upon anyone, it ruins you and your family, and it affects your mental health. I would say my health is back to 80 percent but I still suffer from anxiety about it all.
"I missed my GCSEs, my mum had to take all the time off work, she struggled financially and she also had my younger sister to look after."
However, Rosanna O'Connor, director of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and justice at PHE, said: "We continue to keep the evidence under review, including all safety and health concerns reported to the e-cigarette regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
"However, smoking kills half of life-long smokers and accounts for almost 220 deaths in England every day.
"Our advice remains that while not completely risk free, UK regulated e-cigarettes carry a fraction of the risk of smoked tobacco.
"This view is held by many across the world, including the Royal College of Physicians, Cancer Research UK, the British Medical Association and the National Academy of Sciences in the US."
Featured Image Credit: PA