(NBC NEWS) —US health officials want doctors to be on the lookout for vaping-related illnesses.
The Centers for Disease Control has already recommended doctors ask patients with a respiratory infection about their vaping history.
It has now updated that guidance.
Officials say healthcare workers should know that early symptoms of vaping injury could be mistaken for flu or other infectious illnesses.
That can make a diagnosis very difficult and delay treatment for a vaping injury.
Early symptoms of vaping injury include shortness of breath, cough, chest pain, fever and sometimes gastrointestinal issues.
Roughly 1,300 people in the US have had confirmed or probable cases of lung injuries linked to vaping.
CDC has identified a handful of patients who have been readmitted to the hospital. It’s unclear if they started vaping again, or whether the act of vaping weakened their lungs, making them more susceptible to other illnesses.
