A Case of Fever, Impaired Consciousness, and Psychosis Caused by Nitrous Oxide Abuse and Misdiagnosed as Acute Meningitis.
Naoto Matsuda, Hiroaki Wakakuri, Kazuyuki Uehara, Hideya Hyodo, Toshihiko Ohara, Masahiro Yasutake
Journal of Nippon Medical School = Nippon Ika Daigaku zasshi November 7, 2023 DOI: 10.1272/jnms.jnms.2023_90-505 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A patient with a history of N2O abuse presenting with fever and impaired consciousness |
| Topics | Addiction |
| Keywords | N2o Impaired consciousness |
| Key findings | A patient with a history of N2O abuse presented with fever and impaired consciousness, illustrating the diagnostic difficulty of N2O abuse due to its rapid elimination. |
Abstract
Nitrous oxide (N2O) is readily available, and its abuse for recreational purposes has become a social problem. In Japan, where N2O is strictly prohibited for non-medical use, abuse is often overlooked due to a lack of experience in the field. N2O abuse causes various long-term symptoms, including vitamin B12 deficiency, myelopathy, myeloneuropathy, subacute combined degeneration, mood changes, and psychosis. The diagnosis of N2O abuse is difficult due to the compound's short half-life and rapid elimination through the lungs. This report describes a case of fever and impaired consciousness in a patient with a history of N2O abuse.
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