What Are the Medical Consequences of Inhalant Abuse?
What Are the Medical Consequences of Inhalant Abuse?Answer: Inhalant abusers risk an array of devastating medical consequences. Prolonged sniffing of the highly concentrated chemicals in solvents or aerosol sprays can induce irregular and rapid heart rhythms and lead to heart failure and death within minutes of a session of prolonged sniffing. This syndrome, known as “sudden sniffing death,” can result from a single session of inhalant use by an otherwise healthy young person. Sudden sniffing death is particularly associated with the abuse of butane, propane, and chemicals in aerosols. Inhalant abuse also can cause death by: • Asphyxiation — from repeated inhalations, which lead to high concentrations of inhaled fumes displacing the available oxygen in the lungs; • Suffocation — from blocking air from entering the lungs when inhaling fumes from a plastic bag placed over the head; • Choking — from inhalation of vomit after inhalant use; or • Fatal injury — from accidents, including
