The Bulletin

Virginia ER data points to shift in tobacco use

By: - August 1, 2024 4:37 pm

St. Mary’s Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, part of the Bon Secours Mercy Health system. (Sarah Vogelsong / Virginia Mercury)

Emergency room visits in Virginia by people who reported vaping more than doubled between 2020 and 2023, according to a data analysis released this week by the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association.

In 2020, there were 23,630 emergency room visits by patients who vaped, according to the organization. By 2023, that number had risen to 49,356 visits, a 108.9% increase.

ER visits by people who reported using traditional tobacco products like cigarettes and chewing tobacco dropped by about 25% during the same period, but traditional tobacco products “still account for the majority of [emergency department] visits with a tobacco or vaping-related diagnosis,” according to a VHHA news release.

The data doesn’t necessarily reflect the health risks or safety of various products. Julian Walker, a spokesman for the VHHA, said the data encompasses both people visiting the ER with a persistent cough that’s tobacco-related or patients who have other illnesses like the flu who disclose that they use tobacco.

“Taken together, the trend data may suggest a shift away from traditional tobacco products in favor of e-cigarettes and vaping devices among some users of these products,” the VHHA said in a news release.

Data showing tobacco-related diagnoses for Virginia emergency room visits. (Source: VHHA)

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Graham Moomaw
Graham Moomaw

A veteran Virginia politics reporter, Graham grew up in Hillsville and Lynchburg, graduating from James Madison University and earning a master's degree in journalism from the University of Maryland. Before joining the Mercury in 2019, he spent six years at the Richmond Times-Dispatch, most of that time covering the governor's office, the General Assembly and state politics. He also covered city hall and politics at The Daily Progress in Charlottesville.

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