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Cannabis-Induced Koro-Like Syndrome

C.K. Kalaitzi, A. Kalantzis

Urologia Internationalis 2006 DOI: 10.1159/000091634 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Case study Case report Peer reviewed
Topics Cannabis
Citations 17
Key findings The authors report the first case of a cannabis-induced koro-like syndrome in Greece, describing the syndrome as a transient acute anxiety state with a triad of fear of penile shrinkage, retraction into the abdomen, and apprehension of impotence or death. They note that Western non-psychiatric cases have mostly been tied to neurological disorders or cannabis or amphetamine intoxication.

Abstract

The genital-shrinking syndrome is a transient state of acute anxiety characterized by the triad of a deep-seated fear of penile shrinkage, its disappearance into the abdomen, and apprehension regarding inevitable impotence or even death. It is also known by the Malayo-Indonesian term 'koro'. In the West, koro syndrome has been reported only in relation with various somatic, psychiatric and drug-induced disorders. The vast majority of non-psychiatric cases was related to neurological disorders or intoxication with cannabis or amphetamine. This is the first case of cannabis-induced koro-like syndrome ever reported in Greece.

Comparable studies

Other case reports and case series on cannabis, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder after psilocybin consumption: a case study 18-year-old man with HPPD after mixed psilocybin and cannabis intoxication 2005 Case study n = 1
Cannabis‐induced Koro in Americans American men aged 22-26 with years of cannabis experience who reported negative... 2001 Case series n = 3
“Hallucinations” Following Acute Cannabis Dosing: A Case Report and Comparison to Other Hallucinogenic Drugs Healthy 30-year-old male 2018 Case study n = 1
Hallucinogen persisting perception disorder: A literature review and three case reports Patients with hallucinogen persisting perception disorder 2018 Case series n = 3
Cannabis Psychosis in Young Psychiatric Inpatients Consecutive psychiatric hospital admissions of patients aged 35 and under 1986 Case study n = 25

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