Key result
Heavy nitrous oxide use linked to progressive myeloneuropathy in two men, improving with vitamin B12.
Why the study?
Increasing recreational use of nitrous oxide among young adults has led to emerging neurological dysfunction cases that clinicians need to recognize.
Does recreational nitrous oxide use cause progressive neurological dysfunction in young adults?
Case Report (n=2)
No
Does recreational nitrous oxide use cause progressive neurological dysfunction in young adults?
Clinicians should be aware of nitrous oxide-induced myeloneuropathy as an emerging public health issue among young adults.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Alerts clinicians to nitrous oxide myeloneuropathy in young adults; leaves open its incidence and optimal management.
Increasing use of nitrous oxide as a recreational drug has been reported among young adults in western countries over the past decade. We present two cases of young males presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) of a large urban university hospital in Dublin with progressive neurological dysfunction related to nitrous oxide use. We review the pathophysiology, clinical features and treatment of nitrous oxide neurotoxicity. It is important that clinicians are aware of this evolving public health issue and are able to recognize the clinical features of this rare presentation, which may become more common in Irish EDs and GP surgeries as nitrous oxide abuse becomes more prevalent.
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McCormick et al. (2022) conducted a case report in Nitrous oxide-induced myeloneuropathy (n=2). Nitrous oxide was evaluated. Heavy recreational use of nitrous oxide caused progressive myeloneuropathy in two young men, presenting with sensory ataxia and weakness that improved with vitamin B12 supplementation.
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