Nitrous Oxide Abuse and Vitamin B12 Action in a 20-Year-Old Woman: A Case Report.

Abstract

Herein, we report a case of a 20-year-old (ethnicity not reported) woman with a history of nitrous oxide abuse and clinical symptoms consistent with spinal cord subacute combined degeneration with associated low serum concentrations of vitamin B12, elevated methylmalonic acid levels, and radiologic evidence of demyelination of the dorsal region of the spinal column. The health of the patient improved dramatically with B12 supplementation. In this case, we discuss the interaction of nitrous oxide with the enzymatic pathways involved in the biochemistry of vitamin B12.

• Authors: Miriam Andrea Duque, Jesse L Kresak, Adam Falchook, Neil S Harris
• Journal: Laboratory medicine (Lab Med) Vol. 46 Issue 4 Pg. 312-5 ( 2015) ISSN: 1943-7730 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 26489675 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright© by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).

Chemical References

• Methylmalonic Acid
• Nitrous Oxide
• Vitamin B 12

Topics

• Adult
• Demyelinating Diseases
• Female
• Humans
• Methylmalonic Acid (blood)
• Nitrous Oxide (adverse effects)
• Paresthesia
• Spinal Cord Diseases (drug therapy, etiology, physiopathology)
• Substance-Related Disorders (complications, diagnosis)
• Vitamin B 12 (administration & dosage, therapeutic use)
• Vitamin B 12 Deficiency (blood, complications, diagnosis)
• Young Adult