Air due to Glue: Spontaneous Pneumothorax in a Young Adult with Glue Sniffing

Abstract

Solvent abuse, as inhalant specially, in the form of low cost adhesives like dendrite is common in low income countries among children and the teens. This habit is often a stepping stone to harder drugs. The neurological and neuropsychological effects of solvent abuse are well explored. But the respiratory effects are often overlooked. In this report, we present a case of a 19 year old gentleman, with regular history of sniffing of commercial “glue” compounds. This patient presented with right sided chest pain and chest x-ray showed a right sided pneumothorax. The pulmonary barotrauma, possibly due to increased intra-alveolar pressure, during the sniffing process can lead to alveolar rupture and in turn, pneumothorax. In the absence of other risk factors for Pneumothorax, the link between inhalant abuse and respiratory complications has to be explored in patients with history of such abuse.

Pneumothorax associated with accidental 4‐nitrophenyl chlonoformate inhalation in an academic chemistry lab

“…Currently, the material data safety sheet states “Inhalation of dusts, generated by the material, during the course of normal handling, may produce toxic effects.” Although these toxic effects are not defined and do not include pneumothorax. Other irritant gasses 2–5 inhaled illicit substances 6–10 and inhaled medications 11 have all been previously implicated as causes of pneumothorax in the literature. For example, at high concentrations, partially water‐soluble chlorine gas has shown to cause respiratory distress when inhaled, because of the development of bronchospasm and pulmonary edema 12 .…”

Relationship between knowledge and adolescent social environment with inhalation abuse (fox glue)

“…This effect causes users to put themselves in the act of hurting themselves and harming others (Sattler et al, 2017). Misuse of fox glue can damage the health of its users (Djurendic-Brenesel et al, 2016;Manikandan & Balasubramanian, 2020;Mishra et al, 2018;Yurtseven et al, 2018), the smell of glue inhaled through the respiratory tract results in physical and psychological dependence (Daley et al, 2020;Khasanah, 2019). In addition, a definite risk is a damage to the nervous system and other important organs, such as the heart, lungs, liver, which ultimately leads to death (Broussard, 2020;Pérez-Gómez et al, 2020).…”