Levamisole in Gastric Content after Unusual Intake of Heroin and Cocaine
نویسندگان
چکیده
Levamisole is an antibiotic medication used to treat colon cancer and is a synthetic imidazothiazole derivative also employed as an antihelminthic to treat worm infestations in both humans and animals. Even if it is not yet well known why levamisole is added to cocaine, the presence of this adulterant is very dangerous, in fact this compound suppresses the production of white blood cells, resulting in neutropenia, agranulocytosis and idiopathic pulmonary hypertension. With the increasing use of levamisole as an adulterant, a number of these complications have been reported among cocaine users. The authors refer about the detection of levamisole in gastric content taken from a 48year old woman who was found deceased at home with no evidence of trauma or asphyxia. The cause of death was related to an overdose of cocaine and morphine, and the presence of levamisole in gastric contents was correlated to oral ingestion of a considerable amount of cocaine, a hypothesis suggested by the presence of white powder found on the walls of the stomach of the cadaver.
منابع مشابه
ANCA-positive vasculitis induced by levamisole-adulterated cocaine and nephrotic syndrome: The kidney as an unusual target
PATIENT Male, 36 FINAL DIAGNOSIS: Levamisole-induced vasculopathy Symptoms: Purpuric skin lesions Medication: Levamisole Clinical Procedure: - Specialty: Internal Medicine. OBJECTIVE Unusual clinical course. BACKGROUND Levamisole has been detected in seized cocaine samples and a levamisole-induced vasculopathy (LIV) has been described, mainly focused on skin. CASE REPORT A 36-year-old Cau...
متن کاملUncommon adverse effects of commonly abused illicit drugs.
Illegal drug use continues to be a significant problem in the United States. In 2010, 8.9 percent of Americans 12 years and older reported using an illicit drug in the previous month, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants, and prescription drugs used nonmedically.1 The negative effects of drug use are numerous, and many are well documented in the medical literature. Ill...
متن کاملThe Effects of Acute Consumption of Heroin on Basal and Vagal-Stimulated Gastric Acid and Pepsin Secretion in Rat
Background: Opioid peptides and their receptors are present in the majority of body tissues including gastrointestinal tract. Heroin is one of the opioid derivatives that abuse increasingly today. So far, there is no study on the effect of acute heroin administration on gastric acid and pepsin secretion. Objective: To define the effect of the acute heroin consumption on basal and vagal-stimu...
متن کاملp-ANCA-Associated Vasculitis Caused by Levamisole-Adulterated Cocaine: A Case Report
A rare case of a patient with an unusual skin rash after using cocaine is presented. A clinical diagnosis of levamisole-induced vasculitis was made based on initial presentation of purpuric skin lesions involving the ears and positive cocaine on urine toxicology screening. The diagnosis was confirmed after laboratory findings of neutropenia, positive serum levamisole, and a histopathologic test...
متن کاملSilent Cocaine Poisoning
Background: Cocaine poisoning is known for causing severe clinical effects such as tachycardia, hypertension, agitation and confusion. Absence of clinical manifestations in cocaine poisoning is unusual. Case report: A 26-year old man, known to be a cocaine addict, declared that he was forced by cocaine dealers to swallow many tablets of cocaine, six hours prior to admission to emergency departm...
متن کامل