heroin and Stroke

Heroin-associated stroke is a rare complication of use. Various proposed mechanisms of heroin-associated ischemic stroke have been proposed, including the following: cardioembolism in the setting of infective endocarditis, hypoxic ischemic brain injury in the setting of hypoxemia and hypotension, and infective arteritis or vasculitis from drug adulterants. A previously healthy 28-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with altered mental status and normal vitals after she was found wandering outside her apartment. During ambulance transport, she endorsed heroin use. The patient was alert but could not recall her name, place, or time. She intermittently responded "I don't know" to questioning and could not perform simple commands. No motor or sensory deficits were apparent other than sluggish pinpoint pupils. There were no signs of trauma other than antecubital track marks. Her laboratory results were unremarkable. Reevaluation at 2 hours after presentation showed persistent confusion and disorientation. A computed tomographic scan of the head was obtained, which showed a large 5.1 × 5-cm intraparenchymal hemorrhage in the left frontal lobe, vasogenic edema, and a 5-mm midline shift. A workup for cardioembolic, vasculitis, and other etiologies for stroke did not reveal an underlying cause. The patient remained confused with significant memory loss throughout her hospital stay and was eventually discharged to a long-term care facility. Drug abuse should be considered a risk factor for stoke in young adults. In patients with persistent neurologic deficits, physicians must be vigilant and order appropriate workup while managing drug overdose.

Topics: Adult; Cerebral Hemorrhage; Female; Heroin; Heroin Dependence; Humans; Narcotics; Radiography; Stroke

A 33-year-old man presented to our clinic with amnesia 48 hours after his first heroin inhalation. Examination showed lateral tongue biting and anterograde amnesia demonstrated by impaired performance on verbal and visual Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised tests carried out 10 days after onset, suggesting hippocampal involvement. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain was performed 48 hours after heroin snorting and evoked cortical laminar necrosis (CLN) of the left hippocampus without vascular abnormality. This is the first description of complete hippocampal CLN as a complication subsequent to acute intranasal heroine abuse. While the pathogenic mechanism remains uncertain, our case provides a very specific MRI lesion pattern and highlights the risk of intranasal heroin uptake-induced neurological complication.

Topics: Administration, Inhalation; Adult; Amnesia; Functional Laterality; Heroin; Hippocampus; Humans; Male; Narcotics; Neuropsychological Tests; Stroke