Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Inhalant Abuse”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 487 records · Page 27Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Myocardial injury following the intentional inhalation of typewriter correction fluid.

The first known case of myocardial injury, as documented by evolutionary electrocardiographic changes and echocardiographic septal wall motion abnormality associated with the voluntary inhalation of typewriter correction fluid, is reported. Typewriter correction fluid, which contains a combination of chlorinated hydrocarbons, is rapidly becoming a substance of abuse. Therefore, primary care practitioners should be alerted to specific organ system damages that may arise from the voluntary inhalation of this substance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1977

Intravenous abuse of propylhexedrine.

Propylhexedrine, a local vasoconstrictor, is the active ingredient in the Benzedrex nasal inhaler. In a six-month period, the Office of the Medical Examiner of Dallas County has encountered three deaths resulting from intravenous injection of propylhexedrine. Two of these individuals showed vascular changes in the lungs, apparently from chronic intravenous injections of this drug. Body distribution of the drug was determined in all of the cases by gas chromatographic analysis. An experiment was conducted to determine "therapeutic blood concentrations" in which a normal subject inhaled propylhexedrine from the Benzedrex inhaler. The maximum blood concentration was only 1/30 of the minimum concentration encountered in the reported cases.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Some aspects of the psychoactive substances abuse in adolescents.

Cannabis is a plant whose consumption causes hallucinations soon after it has been inhaled. This study was conducted with 600 adolescents of age 12 to 17 with even gender distribution from two residence locations (rural and urban). Epidemiological-analytic study was prospectively conducted, whose results were analysed with standard statistical methods. The results showed that the use of cannabis is greater by the adolescents in high school (15-17 years old), than the adolescents in the elementary school (12-14 years old). The x2 test showed great significance. Among the tested adolescents the consumption of cannabis is more present in urban than in rural type of residency. However, gender structure did not show significant differences. It is obvious that the prevention of the use of psychoactive substances should be at its maximum.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Burns following petrol sniffing.

Two patients with burns following petrol sniffing are presented. They sustained an 8 per cent and a 70 per cent total body surface area burn. The majority of the burned areas of both patients were full thickness and were treated by early excision and autografting, and in one patient with cultured epidermal autografts also. Both patients came from disorganized families, had behavioural problems and poor school performance. Clothes soaked with petrol, altered mental state and cigarette smoking are major risk factors for thermal injury while inhaling petrol. In order to recognize acute and chronic intoxication, burns unit staff should be aware of the clinical signs related to inhalation of petrol, especially because some of the burned petrol sniffers might not admit to petrol abuse. The social worker and psychologist are very likely to be vital in the rehabilitation of such patients.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1991

Passive inhalation of free-base cocaine ('crack') smoke by infants.

Cocaine is one of the most widely abused substances in the United States, in part due to the availability of its inexpensive alkaloidal free-base form, "crack". A variety of medical complications, including sudden death, are known to occur in the adult-user population, regardless of the route of cocaine administration. We report 16 cases of infant death registered by the Philadelphia (Pa) Medical Examiner's Office over a 2-year period (1987 through 1989), where toxicologic analyses revealed the presence of cocaine and/or its metabolite, benzoylecgonine. Scene investigation documented that these infants, shortly before death, had been exposed to environments that contained the smoke from crack. We conclude that the route of cocaine administration in this infant population was the passive inhalation of crack smoke. It is possible that the cocaine may have contributed to the death of these infants. Thus, in addition to the adult users, infants and children exposed to environments where crack is smoked may inhale cocaine and potentially suffer from its adverse effects.

Cocaine↗
PubMed1994

Stroke associated with methamphetamine inhalation.

Seven patients (all men, mean age 32 years, range 17-47) with stroke following methamphetamine inhalation were collected during the last 2 years. Like oral or intravenous abusers, our patients had more hemorrhagic (n = 5) than ischemic strokes (n = 2). Cases of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) were lobar (n = 3), caudate (n = 1) or putaminal (n = 1), whereas the infarctions were both in the middle cerebral artery region. Each stroke event occurred within 3 days after drug use. Three patients had hypertension on admission. Though young in age, most patients had multiple stroke risk factors. In 3 patients with ICH, we also found small, low attenuated lesions on the brain computed tomography, however, without clinical correlations. Except for arteriovenous malformation in 1 patient, all angiograms failed to show vasculopathy or vasospasm. Contrary to what one might surmise from previously published reports, methamphetamine inhalation is at least as likely to produce ICH as it is to produce brain infarction.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed2000

Association analysis of polymorphisms in the DRD4 gene and heroin abuse in Chinese subjects.

Heroin abuse is a major social and public health problem in many parts of the world, yet relatively little is known about its etiology. Although genes play a role in determining susceptibility, they are expected to be of small effect with considerable heterogeneity. Because the dopamine system is involved in reward, its neurotransmitter receptors are candidates for etiological involvement in addiction. In the present study, we examine two polymorphisms in the dopamine D4 receptor, a VNTR in exon III and a point mutation in the promoter (-512C/T) that affects transcriptional efficiency. We examined a sample of 405 heroin-abusing subjects and 304 controls from Sichuan Province, Southwest China. One hundred twenty-one of these cases and 154 controls were previously used in a study of the DRD4 VNTR [Li et al., 1997], and the remainder are newly ascertained. The two polymorphisms were in weak but detectable linkage disequilibrium (1, 418 chromosomes, P < 0.00001, D' = 0.17). When we compared the heroin-abuse group with controls, we found no significant difference between the patients and controls for either polymorphism in the DRD4 gene or their haplotypes. We were also unable to replicate our earlier association between "long" DRD4 alleles and heroin abuse. However, division of the sample by route of administration (nasal inhalers or injectors) produced a significant difference between inhalers and controls for the DRD4 VNTR (six-fold corrected P = 0. 018 by allele) but not for injectors of heroin. The association we observed between inhalers and the DRD4 polymorphism is difficult to interpret, although it is possible that the association is explained by different levels of novelty seeking between the two subgroups.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed1997

The central nervous system and exposure to toluene: a risk characterization.

The principal health outcome of exposure to toluene is dysfunction of the central nervous system. Effects range from fatalities and severe neurological disorders in toluene abuse situations to deficits in neurobehavioral function in occupational populations. An Inhalation Reference Concentration (RfC) of 0.4 mg toluene/m3 or 0.1 ppm was developed by the U.S. EPA to protect general populations chronically exposed to toluene. The RfC was derived from results of an occupational study involving Asian workers who developed neurobehavioral deficits at a mean toluene exposure level at the time of the study of 88 ppm. The derivation incorporated several uncertainty factors, one of which was a factor of 10 to account for sensitive subpopulations. Recent evidence indicates that some Japanese and possibly other Asian populations harbor a defective gene for aldehyde dehydrogenase, and thus exhibit a decreased rate of toluene metabolism. Although it is not known if reduced metabolism by aldehyde dehydrogenase also was a factor in the occupational study, preshift blood levels of toluene were considerably higher than preshift levels from non-Asian workers exposed to similar air levels of toluene. The elevated blood levels are consistent with defective metabolism but remain to be confirmed. Inasmuch as air levels of toluene in urban environments are about 10-fold lower than the RfC, an adequate measure of protection is afforded by the RfC with or without an uncertainty factor for sensitive subgroups. However, the uncertainty factor for sensitive subgroups should be retained because there is no information regarding toluene metabolism in children.

Air Pollution, Indoor↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An interesting thinner intoxication case: intrathoracic injection.

Thinners, including aromatic hydrocarbons such as toluene, xylene, and N-hexane, are widely used in industry for the production of plastics, varnish, paint, and glue. Use of these toxic agents frequently leads to chronic intoxication caused by abuse or misuse of solvents, which are usually taken in through inhalation. Thinners may have neurotoxic, myotoxic, hepatotoxic, nephrotoxic, and cardiotoxic systemic effects. The patient described in this report attempted to commit suicide by injecting 10 cc thinner into the left hemithorax. Acute chemical empyema developed at the left hemithorax. No bacterial growth was noted in empyema liquid and blood samples. Empyema was treated with tube thoracostomy, and full remission was observed after 33 d. No systemic toxic signs were noted, other than a low level of hepatotoxicity. Although pleural effusion, atelectasis, and pleural thickening were observed at the acute phase on computed tomography (CT) of the thorax, only pleural thickening persisted on CT of the thorax after 1 y. Investigators could not find a documented case of parenteral use of thinners in the medical literature.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1992

Burns following cigarette lighter fluid abuse.

Seven patients with burns associated with butane cigarette lighter fluid abuse, in a group setting within an enclosed space, are presented. In all patients there was a reluctance to admit that butane vapour was in use as an intoxicant immediately prior to the injury. It is obvious from the circumstances of these injuries that the hazardous nature of cigarette lighter fluid is not fully appreciated. Since the resultant injuries are usually minor (all patients recovered spontaneously with conservative management, the hospital stay averaging 2 days), it is probable that many more occur, but do not present to accident departments as the victims are wary of repercussions should they admit to intoxicant vapour abuse. In view of the medical sequelae that can follow butane inhalation, burns unit staff should be aware of the problems, their recognition and treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Dependency upon salbutamol inhalers.

A case of dependency on salbutamol inhalers has been described. This has been discussed in relation to abuse of other drugs by alveolar absorption and other effects of salbutamol. It is not known whether the dependency is due to the salbutamol itself or to the fluorinated hydrocarbons used as propellants.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

The fentanyl tea bag.

Fentanyl patches create unique opportunities for use and abuse. Each patch contains 100-fold more drug than is stated on the label in order to create the gradient required to deliver the stated amount (ie 25-100 microg/h). Several methods of abuse of this analgesic have been reported, ranging from ingestion to inhalation to application of multiple patches to the skin. We report the unique case of a 21-y-old woman who steeped a fentanyl patch in a cup of hot water and then drank the mixture. Coma and hypoventilation resulted. The woman was resuscitated with naloxone i.v. and recovered without sequelae.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

[Smell and taste in drug addicts].

The main objective of this study was to establish the degree of influence of various illicit drugs, taken into the body in different ways, on the senses of smell and taste. Other possible factors, that might have caused disturbances in normal functioning of both senses, were outlined. The studied group consisted of 48 drug addicts, between the age of 16 and 48 years, addicted to various illicit drugs for several years. Olfactory testing included two methods. First quantitative method described by Elsberg and Levy, modified by Pruszewicz, was used to establish the smell detection threshold. Then the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test was used as a method for odor identification. The sense of taste was tested with the use of method described by Krarup and modified by Pruszewicz. The results showed disturbances in olfactory performance (combined in both method) in 52.1% of all drug abusers, and 16.7% of them were diagnosed with ageusia when the sense of taste was tested. The route of administration of illicit drugs proved to be a statistically significant factor that might have caused disturbances of smell perception and identification in the study group. Drug abusers who were taking drugs intravenously and those who smoked and inhaled various drugs had the most significant olfactory problems. Both means for assessing smell function were statistically compared and the results showed that approximately 75% of drug users with olfactory disturbances had olfactory problems in both tests.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Homicide facilitated by inhalation of chloroform.

Three related homicides in which each decedent had significant concentrations of chloroform in blood, fat, brain and/or liver are described. The tissue concentrations of chloroform in one of three decedents were within reported lethal ranges. The concentrations in the remaining two decedents were less than lethal but were well above blood levels in nonoccupationally exposed, healthy subjects. The cause of death in one decedent with sublethal chloroform concentrations was suffocation; the cause of death in the other decedent could not be determined with certainty. The manner of death in each case was homicide. Through a review of the literature the authors discuss the history of chloroform as an inhalation anesthetic and the history of chloroform as an agent of abuse, suicide, assault, and homicide. Blood and/or tissue concentrations of chloroform in nonoccupationally exposed, healthy subjects and victims of suicide or homicide from previous reports are compared and contrasted with the amounts in blood and/or tissue in the three subjects described in this study. The authors conclude that, in addition to a direct lethal effect, chloroform may be used to incapacitate a victim of assault who then dies by another cause.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

[A phoniatric treatment report for a dysphonia case with unilateral false cord bulging].

This case report was a 43-year-old male with phonation problem described as hoarseness, reduced loudness and with effort. Patient was examined by a laryngologist and a voice-speech pathologist. The laryngeal finding showed left false cord bulging under indirect laryngoscope and fiberscope. Patient's dysphonia was analyzed from perceptual and acoustic parameters. Patient was diagnosed as dysphonia with left cord bulging and under a phoniatric treatment. The goal of treatment was to eliminate vocal abuse and misuse behaviors, stimulate true cords function by Boone's "inhalation phonation" method then reduce compensatory behaviors of false cord involvement and balance life between work and after work. The results after the phoniatric treatment and underlying phonation mechanism were presented and discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Retinal nerve fiber layer defects and microtalc retinopathy secondary to free-basing "crack" cocaine.

BACKGROUND: There have been several reports in the literature documenting ocular manifestations of cocaine abuse. None have discussed the potential retinal complications stemming from cocaine inhalation. METHODS: Approximately 60 patients with a history of free-basing "crack" cocaine were examined at the Optometry Clinic. Threshold visual field testing and fundus photographs were obtained and later reviewed. RESULTS: Microtalc retinopathy and associated retinal nerve fiber layer "rake" or "slit" defects were detected exclusively in patients who had free-based "crack" cocaine. Some of these patients manifested visual field changes that mimic glaucoma. Several cases are presented that demonstrate the findings typical of those observed in the patients examined at the Optometry Clinic. CONCLUSIONS: Microtalc retinopathy and associated glaucoma-like retinal nerve fiber layer defects indicate the presence of permanent microvascular changes in the eyes, as well as the lungs, brain, and probably other peripheral organs. Optometrists should be aware of these new findings in order to properly manage patients who free-base "crack" cocaine.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Peripheral neuropathy following intentional inhalation of naphtha fumes.

Two adolescent native Canadians who presented with peripheral neuropathy secondary to the abuse of volatile hydrocarbons are described. They were initially thought to have been sniffing leaded gasoline fumes, but public health investigation revealed that they had been sniffing naphtha fumes. Naphtha contains a significant amount of n-hexane, a known inducer of neuropathy. Nerve conduction studies and nerve biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of naphtha abuse. These cases emphasize the need to specifically identify the formulation of hydrocarbons being abused.

Adolescent↗