Matthew Tanti 1 , Jeremy Cosgrove 2 , Charles Kelleher 3 , Rebekah Jones 3 , Melissa Maguire 2 Show Affiliations »
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) are a growing public health concern. We aimed to identify the acute neurological consequences of NPS. METHOD: We performed a retrospective case-note review of patients who presented to the emergency department after taking NPS. RESULTS: We identified 237 admissions from 190 patients, mostly young men. There were high rates of psychiatric comorbidity (43%), unemployment (39%), homelessness (24%) and incarceration (17%). Most reported use of synthetic cannabinoids (SC; 91%). Some took synthetic cathinones (SCath; 7%) or nitrous oxide (NOS; 2%). SC caused impaired consciousness (61%) and seizures (16%). SCath users presented with psychiatric disturbance or seizures (55%). Most patients were managed conservatively (67%) and a small proportion (14%) were referred to drug or psychology services. CONCLUSIONS: NPS users represent a vulnerable group in society. Certain clinical features may suggest the type of NPS used. Most patients require supportive management and onward referral to drug addiction services is recommended. © Royal College of Physicians 2021. All rights reserved.
BACKGROUND: Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) are a growing public health concern. We aimed to identify the acute neurological consequences of NPS. METHOD: We performed a retrospective case-note review of patients who presented to the emergency department after taking NPS. RESULTS: We identified 237 admissions from 190 patients, mostly young men. There were high rates of psychiatric comorbidity (43%), unemployment (39%), homelessness (24%) and incarceration (17%). Most reported use of synthetic cannabinoids (SC; 91%). Some took synthetic cathinones (SCath; 7%) or nitrous oxide (NOS; 2%). SC caused impaired consciousness (61%) and seizures (16%). SCath users presented with psychiatric disturbance or seizures (55%). Most patients were managed conservatively (67%) and a small proportion (14%) were referred to drug or psychology services. CONCLUSIONS: NPS users represent a vulnerable group in society. Certain clinical features may suggest the type of NPS used. Most patients require supportive management and onward referral to drug addiction services is recommended. © Royal College of Physicians 2021. All rights reserved.
Entities: Chemical
Keywords:
neurology; nitrous oxide; novel psychoactive substances; synthetic cannabinoids; synthetic cathinones
Mesh： See more »
Substances： See more »
Year: 2021
PMID： 33947659 PMCID： PMC8140705 DOI： 10.7861/clinmed.2020-0706
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Clin Med (Lond) ISSN： 1470-2118 Impact factor: 2.659