heroin and Syndrome

This project offers new epidemiological estimates for DSM-IV cocaine dependence among sub-groups of newly incident cocaine users in the United States (US), including estimated attack rates for 21 dependence-related cocaine side effect problems and experiences occurring <12 months after onset.. In 2002-2016, US National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) sampled, recruited, and assessed cocaine experiences of non-institutionalized civilians. Unweighted estimates for year-pairs (2002-3,…,2015-16) are from 3488 cocaine powder-only initiates and 275 powder-then-crack initiates (all evaluated <12 months after onset). Analysis-weighted attack rate estimates are incidence proportions with 95% confidence intervals (CI), summarized via meta-analysis.. Evaluated <12 months after onset, meta-analysis summaries show 5% of powder-only initiates developed cocaine dependence (95% CI = 4%, 6%) versus 22% of powder-then-crack initiates (95% CI = 17%, 29%). For several cocaine side effect problems and experiences (e.g., 'loss of control' indicators) there is a statistically robust crack-associated excess risk.. Three interpretations of observed crack-associated excess risk are especially cogent and deserving of continued inquiry: (1) Powder-then-crack initiates start with heightened dependence risk susceptibilities (i.e., pre-dating onset); (2) Powder-using initiates become cocaine dependent and then start using crack; (3) The cocaine delivery variant of 'crack-smoking' is more toxic than powder insufflation. For powder-then-crack initiates, the cocaine dependence risk (22%) is modestly lower but statistically undifferentiable from a recently estimated risk of heroin dependence <12 months after heroin onset (30%). Clinicians can use these side effect estimates in an evidence-based diagnostic workup when patients disclose new onsets of cocaine use.

Topics: Adult; Cocaine; Cocaine-Related Disorders; Female; Health Surveys; Heroin; Heroin Dependence; Humans; Incidence; Male; Middle Aged; Powders; Syndrome; Time Factors; United States

Topics: Altitude Sickness; Central Nervous System Diseases; Dextropropoxyphene; Drowning; Ethchlorvynol; Hemodynamics; Heroin; Humans; Lung; Oxygen; Pancreatitis; Pulmonary Edema; Respiratory Distress Syndrome; Respiratory Therapy; Salicylates; Smoke; Syndrome

A large percentage of opioid overdose fatalities involve fentanyl or one of its legal or illegal analogs (F/FAs). Is there something about the pharmacology of these drugs that make them unusually dangerous in an overdose?. Some of the reasons for the dangers of overdose of F/FAs is their high potency and low cost (that leads to wide distribution). But it is rarely asked if the basic pharmacology of F/FAs differ in some fundamental way from conventional opioids such as morphine and heroin. In addition to centrally mediated respiratory depression via opioid receptors, F/FAs cause rigidity in the key respiratory muscles of the chest, upper airway and diaphragm ("wooden chest syndrome," WCS) by a non-opioid mechanism.. WCS is an atypical pharmacology of F/FAs. Because of its rapid onset and non-opioid mechanism, WCS makes F/FA overdose particularly dangerous.

Topics: Diaphragm; Fentanyl; Heroin; Humans; Laryngismus; Muscle Rigidity; Opiate Overdose; Syndrome; Thoracic Wall

Abnormal restricted diffusion on magnetic resonance imaging is often associated with ischemic stroke or anoxic injury, but other conditions can present similarly. We present six cases of an unusual but consistent pattern of restricted diffusion in bilateral hippocampi and cerebellar cortices. This pattern of injury is distinct from typical imaging findings in ischemic, anoxic, or toxic injury, suggesting it may represent an under-recognized clinicoradiographic syndrome. Despite initial presentation with stupor or coma in the context of obstructive hydrocephalus, patients may have acceptable outcomes if offered early intervention.. We identified an ad hoc series of patients at our two institutions between years 2014 and 2017 who presented to the neurocritical care unit with severe, otherwise unexplained cerebellar edema and retrospectively identified several commonalities in history, presentation, and imaging.. Between two institutions, we identified six patients-ages 33-59 years, four male-with similar presentations of decreased level of consciousness in the context of intoxicant exposure, with acute cytotoxic edema of the cerebellar cortex, hippocampi, and aspects of the basal nuclei. All patients presented with severe cerebellar edema which led to obstructive hydrocephalus requiring aggressive medical and/or surgical management. The five patients who survived to discharge demonstrated variable degrees of physical and memory impairment on discharge and at follow-up.. We present findings of a potentially novel syndrome involving a distinct pattern of cerebellar and hippocampal restricted diffusion, with imaging and clinical characteristics distinct from ischemic stroke, hypoxic injury, and known toxidromes and leukoencephalopathies. Given the potential for favorable outcome despite early obstructive hydrocephalus, early identification and treatment of this syndrome are critical.

Topics: Adult; Alcoholic Intoxication; Amphetamines; Basal Ganglia; Benzodiazepines; Brain Edema; Central Nervous System Stimulants; Cerebellar Cortex; Cerebellum; Cocaine; Coma; Female; Heroin; Hippocampus; Humans; Hydrocephalus; Hydromorphone; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Opiate Alkaloids; Pain, Postoperative; Stupor; Substance-Related Disorders; Syndrome

Topics: Adult; Analgesics, Opioid; Anesthesia, Epidural; Anesthesia, Obstetrical; Anesthesia, Spinal; Anesthetics, Combined; Anesthetics, Local; Bupivacaine; Cesarean Section; Elective Surgical Procedures; Female; Heroin; Humans; Muscle Contraction; Muscle Rigidity; Muscle Weakness; Pregnancy; Rare Diseases; Spinal Diseases; Syndrome

We report a case of death due to the effects of heroin concealed in a woman who was attempting to smuggle the drug into Kenya concealed within her gastro-intestinal tract. She was arrested at a Nairobi airport. While under police detention, she expelled a pellet par anum containing the drug then collapsed, after being forcefully fed on a heavy meal. She was taken to hospital in coma where she expelled nine pellets and died three days later. Her blood level of heroin at admission was well beyond the lethal dose. Details are provided of the circumstances leading to her admission into hospital, her stay in hospital and the autopsy findings. At autopsy 88 pellets were retrieved from her body. The main pathological findings included pulmonary and cerebral edema. Despite the presence of free heroin in the gastric contents, toxicological analysis did not demonstrate any heroin or its metabolites in blood or tissue extracts. This case illustrates the challenges in postmortem evaluation of narcotic fatalities and the need to consider all factors such as antemortem history, toxicology results and autopsy findings in forensic diagnosis

Topics: Adult; Autopsy; Brain Edema; Coma; Drug Implants; Fatal Outcome; Female; Gastrointestinal Tract; Heroin; Humans; Kenya; Pulmonary Edema; Syndrome

We report a 30-year-old man who developed painful swelling of his right leg and complete sciatic nerve palsy after an i.v. injection of heroin. Excessive elevation of serum creatine phosphokinase indicated the presence of rhabdomyolysis. Fasciotomy of the gluteus maximus led to rapid and complete recovery from sciatic nerve palsy. Nontraumatic rhabdomyolysis may cause a gluteal compartment syndrome that requires immediate fasciotomy.

Topics: Adult; Buttocks; Heroin; Humans; Inflammation; Injections, Intravenous; Leg; Male; Paralysis; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases; Rhabdomyolysis; Sciatic Nerve; Substance-Related Disorders; Syndrome

Topics: Adult; Analgesics; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Antioxidants; Arm; Combined Modality Therapy; Drug Overdose; Edema; Heroin; Heroin Dependence; Humans; Male; Methylprednisolone; Muscular Diseases; Oxygen Inhalation Therapy; Pain; Rhabdomyolysis; Syndrome

In four patients, a woman of 35 and men of 27, 38, and 22 years old, body-packer syndrome was diagnosed. Body-packer syndrome is seen in people concealing drugs in special containers within the body; this may lead to rupture with acute intoxication or to ileus. The clinical presentation can be very deceptive. An abdominal X-ray often reveals the packages. If there are no symptoms treatment is with mild laxatives, acute intoxication requires immediate laparotomy. One of the four patients died, the others recovered. Legally (Dutch law), the physician best delivers the drug to the police as a lost object, without revealing the patient's identity.

Topics: Adult; Cocaine; Constipation; Fatal Outcome; Female; Foreign Bodies; Heroin; Humans; Male; Radiography; Stomach Rupture; Syndrome

The paper describes five cases of accidental intraarterial injection of pharmacological drugs (diazepam or thiopentone) or dope (heroin) in an upper limb. Following a review of the physiopathological mechanisms which led to ischemic damage, the Authors outline a protocol of continuous pharmacological sympathicolysis in the affected limb, using repeated anesthetic blocks of the homolateral stellate ganglion.

Topics: Arm; Autonomic Nerve Block; Diazepam; Heroin; Humans; Injections, Intra-Arterial; Ischemia; Regional Blood Flow; Stellate Ganglion; Syndrome; Thiopental

We studied the clinical, scintigraphic, and histopathologic characteristics of 26 intravenous drug abusers with costochondral involvement secondary to systemic infection with Candida albicans. The clinical findings were of a mass appearing in the anterior region of the thorax. In general, signs of inflammation were absent. Histopathologic study of this costochondral mass in 12 patients showed perichondritis in 100% and myositis in 87%, with secondary involvement of cartilage in 43% and of bone in 75%. Results of bone scintigrams using 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate were positive in only 7 of 15 patients (47%), with a correlation between positive uptake and osteitis. Gallium scintigraphy findings were positive in 9 of 10 patients (90%). The greater sensitivity of 67Ga was probably because the invariably present pericartilaginous inflammatory mass was not always accompanied by secondary cartilage and bone involvement.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Candida albicans; Candidiasis; Cartilage; Female; Heroin; Humans; Male; Ribs; Substance-Related Disorders; Syndrome; Tomography, Emission-Computed

Seven young men developed similar manifestations of disseminated candidiasis after a single episode of intravenous heroin abuse. Sequential development of lesions of the eye, skin, and bone or costal cartilage was noted within 10 days after injection. Skin lesions were confined to the scalp and other hair bearing areas. Candida albicans was cultured readily from affected skin and costal cartilage. Histological examination of scalp biopsy specimens showed infiltration of hair follicles with chronic inflammatory cells and C albicans. Pseudohyphas of C albicans were also identified in and around hair shafts. The skin, skeletal, and small eye lesions resolved on systemic treatment with 1 g amphotericin B plus flucytosine. Pars plana vitrectomy plus local instillation of amphotericin B cured progressive chorioretinitis. These features may represent a distinctive syndrome of disseminated candidiasis in heroin abusers. Systemic antifungal treatment is curative in most cases.

Topics: Candidiasis; Candidiasis, Cutaneous; Eye Diseases; Heroin; Humans; Male; Osteochondritis; Osteomyelitis; Ribs; Substance-Related Disorders; Syndrome

Reported is a case of Brown-Sequard syndrome following attempted heroin injection into the right external jugular vein. A right-sided hemiparalysis with a contralateral sensory loss of touch, pain, proprioception, and temperature developed over several hours to the C3 dermatome level. A myelogram showed a vasculitis pattern in the lower cervical region. Treatment was with high-dose dexamethasone for ten days. After six weeks of inpatient physical therapy, only minimal motor and sensory return was seen. Although this syndrome is usually due to lateral hemisection of the spinal cord by a stab wound or a gunshot wound, in this case we believe it resulted from chemical transection due to the heroin or quinine diluent or both.

Topics: Adult; Heroin; Humans; Injections, Intravenous; Jugular Veins; Male; Paralysis; Spinal Cord Injuries; Substance-Related Disorders; Syndrome

Topics: Adult; Heroin; Humans; Male; Paraplegia; Spinal Cord; Syndrome

Heroin addiction is associated with several severe and occasionally fatal renal complications. Acute renal failure consequent to rhabdomyolysis and myoglobinuria, when treated supportively, carries a good prognosis. Staphylococcal or other bacterial septicemia may in itself prove fatal and is associated with a proliferative immune complex, acute glomerulonephritis, which generally follows the course and prognosis of septicemia. The necrotizing angiitis reported in heroin addicts still is largely undefined. Focal and segmental glomerular sclerosis is the most common pathologic finding in the syndrome of heroin-associated nephropathy (HAN). Typically, HAN presents with massive proteinuria and progresses rapidly to renal failure. Presumptive evidence supports the premise that heroin or its vehicles elicits immunologically mediated renal damage. The antigen still is unidentified. Removing the antigenic challenge by stopping heroin injection apparently interdicts the progression of renal disease. Renal transplantation can be effectively accomplished in patients with HAN without early recurrence if patients discontinue the use of heroin.

Topics: Acute Kidney Injury; Adult; Female; Glomerulonephritis; Heroin; Heroin Dependence; Humans; Kidney Diseases; Kidney Transplantation; Male; Middle Aged; Myoglobinuria; Polyarteritis Nodosa; Prognosis; Proteinuria; Sepsis; Syndrome; Transplantation, Homologous

Topics: Adult; Alcoholism; Child; Female; Hepatitis A; Heroin; Humans; Liver Cirrhosis; Liver Diseases; Lung Diseases; Male; Middle Aged; Oxygen Inhalation Therapy; Pneumonia; Respiratory Insufficiency; Syndrome

Topics: Behavior, Addictive; Heroin; Humans; Male; Methadone; Morphine; Nalorphine; Substance-Related Disorders; Syndrome