FDA issued a statement saying that electronic cigarettes are at risk of causing epilepsy. It caused the fear of consumers for electronic cigarettes.
The FDA has received dozens of reports about the seizures may caused by electronic cigarettes
After the announcement, the stock of famous tobacco companies such as Altria Group and British American Tobacco Group fell sharply. Altria Group fell 4.78% on Wednesday and British American Tobacco fell 2.29%.
On August 7, FDA announced that 127 people with epileptic seizures after smoking electronic cigarettes were being investigated, but there is no direct evidence that electronic cigarettes can cause epileptic seizures.
Investigation of 127 related cases
In April, FDA announced that it had received 35 reports of seizure related to e-smoking, especially among young users, from 2010 to 2019. With limited samples, it was not clear whether the seizure was caused by electronic cigarettes, and FDA subsequently announced an investigation into the problem.
By now, the FDA has received about 92 new reports of epileptic seizures following the use of electronic cigarettes, including children and adolescents.
There is no direct evidence pointing to electronic cigarettes
The Food and Drug Administration said the evidence analysed so far did not establish a clear pattern or cause for these cases. Other reports also “did not indicate an increase in the frequency or prevalence of epileptic seizures among e-cigarette users”.
The reported cases occurred between 2010 and 2019. In addition to seizures, some reported syncope or tremor.
“We still don’t have enough information to determine whether e-cigarettes caused these reported incidents,” FDA Commissioner Ned Shapless said, but called on the public to continue to report cases online to the FDA.
We are very grateful for the public’s response to our initial report, and we strongly encourage the public to submit new or follow-up reports in as much detail as possible.”
