E-vape and E-Cigarettes-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI) in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Diagnostic Dilemma and Therapeutic Challenge

Abstract

E-vape and e-cigarettes-associated lung injury (EVALI) is a diagnostic dilemma and even more obscure during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A rise was seen in EVALI cases at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, the non-specific presentation, or the overlapping symptoms of COVID-19 and EVALI, can negate the possible diagnosis of EVALI because of a clinician's predisposition toward infectious etiologies, and it becomes even more challenging during a viral pandemic. The patient's social history remains the key distinctive point in diagnosing EVALI. Systemic steroids are generally used along with supportive care to treat patients with EVALI. This case report demonstrates the dilemma in diagnosing EVALI in a 19-year-old female during the COVID-19 pandemic.