Skip to main content
PMC home page
CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association Journal logoLink to CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association Journal
. 2000 Jan 25;162(2):236–238.

Chasing the dragon--neurological toxicity associated with inhalation of heroin vapour: case report.

M D Hill 1, P W Cooper 1, J R Perry 1
PMCID: PMC1232277  PMID: 10674060

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (409.9 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Amnueilaph R., Boongird P., Leechawengwongs M., Vejjajiva A. Heroin neuropathy. Lancet. 1973 Jun 30;1(7818):1517–1518. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(73)91863-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Brands B., Marsh D. C. Methadone maintenance treatment: a Canadian perspective. CMAJ. 1997 Aug 15;157(4):399–401. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Choi I. S. Delayed neurologic sequelae in carbon monoxide intoxication. Arch Neurol. 1983 Jul;40(7):433–435. doi: 10.1001/archneur.1983.04050070063016. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. DuPont R. L. Profile of a heroin-addiction epidemic. N Engl J Med. 1971 Aug 5;285(6):320–324. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197108052850605. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Fehn J., Megges G. Detection of O6-monoacetylmorphine in urine samples by GC/MS as evidence for heroin use. J Anal Toxicol. 1985 May-Jun;9(3):134–138. doi: 10.1093/jat/9.3.134. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Fischer B., Rehm J. The case for a heroin substitution treatment trial in Canada. Can J Public Health. 1997 Nov-Dec;88(6):367–370. doi: 10.1007/BF03403907. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Ginsberg M. D., Hedley-Whyte E. T., Richardson E. P., Jr Hypoxic-ischemic leukoencephalopathy in man. Arch Neurol. 1976 Jan;33(1):5–14. doi: 10.1001/archneur.1976.00500010007002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hershewe G. L., Davis L. E., Bicknell J. M. Primary cerebellar brain abscess from nocardiosis in a heroin addict. Neurology. 1988 Oct;38(10):1655–1656. doi: 10.1212/wnl.38.10.1655. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hori A., Hirose G., Kataoka S., Tsukada K., Furui K., Tonami H. Delayed postanoxic encephalopathy after strangulation. Serial neuroradiological and neurochemical studies. Arch Neurol. 1991 Aug;48(8):871–874. doi: 10.1001/archneur.1991.00530200113030. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kriegstein A. R., Armitage B. A., Kim P. Y. Heroin inhalation and progressive spongiform leukoencephalopathy. N Engl J Med. 1997 Feb 20;336(8):589–590. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199702203360818. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Loizou L. A., Boddie H. G. Polyradiculoneuropathy associated with heroin abuse. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1978 Sep;41(9):855–857. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.41.9.855. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Murray R. R., Kapila A., Blanco E., Kagan-Hallet K. S. Cerebral computed tomography in drowning victims. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 1984 Mar-Apr;5(2):177–179. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Nuytten D., Wyffels E., Michiels K., Ferrante M., Verbraeken H., Daelemans R., Baeck E., Cras P. Drug-induced spongiform leucoencephalopathy, a case report with review of the literature. Acta Neurol Belg. 1998 Mar;98(1):32–35. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Page S. R., Scott A. R. Thyroid storm in a young woman resulting in bilateral basal ganglia infarction. Postgrad Med J. 1993 Oct;69(816):813–815. doi: 10.1136/pgmj.69.816.813. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Poulin C., Fralick P., Whynot E. M., el-Guebaly N., Kennedy D., Bernstein J., Boivin D., Rinehart J. The epidemiology of cocaine and opiate abuse in urban Canada. Can J Public Health. 1998 Jul-Aug;89(4):234–238. doi: 10.1007/BF03403924. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Richter R. W., Rosenberg R. N. Transverse myelitis associated with heroin addiction. JAMA. 1968 Nov 4;206(6):1255–1257. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Rizzuto N., Morbin M., Ferrari S., Cavallaro T., Sparaco M., Boso G., Gaetti L. Delayed spongiform leukoencephalopathy after heroin abuse. Acta Neuropathol. 1997 Jul;94(1):87–90. doi: 10.1007/s004010050676. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Roulet Perez E., Maeder P., Rivier L., Deonna T. Toxic leucoencephalopathy after heroin ingestion in a 21/2-year-old child. Lancet. 1992 Sep 19;340(8821):729–729. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(92)92268-k. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Schreiber S. N., Liebowitz M. R., Bernstein L. H., Srinivasan K. Limb compression and renal impairment (crush syndrome) complicating narcotic overdose. N Engl J Med. 1971 Feb 18;284(7):368–369. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197102182840708. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Schwartz A., Hennerici M., Wegener O. H. Delayed choreoathetosis following acute carbon monoxide poisoning. Neurology. 1985 Jan;35(1):98–99. doi: 10.1212/wnl.35.1.98. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Tan T. P., Algra P. R., Valk J., Wolters E. C. Toxic leukoencephalopathy after inhalation of poisoned heroin: MR findings. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 1994 Jan;15(1):175–178. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Wolters E. C., van Wijngaarden G. K., Stam F. C., Rengelink H., Lousberg R. J., Schipper M. E., Verbeeten B. Leucoencephalopathy after inhaling "heroin" pyrolysate. Lancet. 1982 Dec 4;2(8310):1233–1237. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(82)90101-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. de Burger R. Heroin substitution in Canada: a necessary public health intervention? Can J Public Health. 1997 Nov-Dec;88(6):365–366. doi: 10.1007/BF03403906. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. de Gans J., Stam J., van Wijngaarden G. K. Rhabdomyolysis and concomitant neurological lesions after intravenous heroin abuse. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1985 Oct;48(10):1057–1059. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.48.10.1057. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal are provided here courtesy of Canadian Medical Association

RESOURCES