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What is Inhalant Use Disorder?

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Inhalant Use Disorder is a quite rare, but nonetheless very dangerous disorder. Most popular with young teenagers, inhalants encompass a wide range of toxic chemicals. Younger teens prefer inhalants because they are cheap, easy to acquire, legal to possess, and unlikely to arouse the suspicion of authority figures. They are so readily available that most inhalants can be found in common household products. Users either inhale the substances directly from their containers or spray them on rags or into plastic bags that are then placed on the mouth or over the head to maximize exposure.

Inhaling the gases (also called “huffing”) causes rapid euphoria and relaxation that lasts up to an hour. People report sensations of floating, disinhibition, and increased strength or power. However, to a sober observer, they appear drunk, with a stumbling walk and slurred speech. A dead-giveaway is the “glue sniffer’s rash”, a red breakout in and around their mouths with dry, cracked skin and occasional skin infections.

Major dangers

Inhalants cause a multitude of medical problems, such as sudden sniffing death and fetal solvent syndrome. Sudden sniffing death can occur with just a single use. Over three-quarters of deaths are directly from the toxic effects of substances and a fifth are from asphyxia from plastic bags. Trauma from accidents and choking make up the remainder. Inhalants can excite heart muscle to the point that any abrupt exertion may cause sudden cardiac death. Propane and butane can cause throat swelling and spasm, and accidental combustion of flammable propellants leads to respiratory burns. Memory and cognition impairments can appear rapidly, even with a few exposures.

Chronic use leads to brain shrinkage and loss of neurons. Specifically, brain matter important for signal transmission and communication degrades. These people develop symptoms similar to those of Parkinson’s Disease (tremors and slow, rigid, unstable movement). The whole respiratory system experiences significant damage, with increased rates of asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia. There is also damage to the liver and kidneys, and bone marrow suppression.

Toluene, a solvent found in paint thinners and glues, is a prime culprit in fetal solvent syndrome. Use during pregnancy causes low birth weight, prematurity, small head size, and prenatal death. Infants have smaller facial features, small and blunted fingers, and eye, ear, and mouth abnormalities. As these kids reach early childhood, they encounter slowed growth, speech delays, and balance and coordination difficulties.

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References
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