RESUMEN
Propylhexedrine was implicated in 15 deaths investigated by the Dallas County Medical Examiner since 1973. Twelve of the deaths were attributable to intravenous abuse of the contents of the Benzedrex® inhaler. Each death could be defined as sudden. Pulmonary edema, foreign body granulomas, fibrosis and evidence of pulmonary hypertension were frequent postmortem findings. Right ventricular hypertrophy was present in nine of the 12 subjects who died of intravenous propylhexedrine abuse. Two homicides and one suicide were propylhexedrine-related. Intravenous propylhexedrine abuse should be considered in the differential diagnosis of right ventricular hypertrophy and/or pulmonary hypertension, and it should be suspected in cases of sudden death involving young adults displaying evidence of intravenous drug abuse.
Asunto(s)
Muerte Súbita/etiología , Propilaminas/envenenamiento , Trastornos Relacionados con Sustancias/complicaciones , Adulto , Fenómenos Químicos , Química , Femenino , Humanos , Inyecciones Intravenosas , Masculino , Psicosis Inducidas por Sustancias/etiologíaRESUMEN
A patient with signs of Wernicke's disease had low body temperature and showed thermolability when challenged with cold and heat. This man expressed no feelings of thermal discomfort about his persistently low core temperature or about induced changes in his core temperature. He also showed abnormalities in his febrile response to pyrogen and in his circadian temperature rhythm. Treatment with thiamine hydrochloride resulted in substantial improvement in these thermoregulatory deficits.