Can levamisole-contaminated cocaine cause pulmonary hypertension?
This article is valuable in alerting clinicians cocaine users may be at risk for the condition. I expect future studies will determine just how much aminorex is produced from exposure to typical amounts of contaminated cocaine.
Remember, there are two known conditions that can be caused by levamisole-tainted cocaine: agraulocytosis and necrotizing vasculitis.
Tip o’ the hat to Dr. Jerry Hoffman, who alerted me to this possible connection. I had not heard of it before.
Related posts:
Cocaine-associated hyponatremia: is levamisole the culprit?
Levamisole-adulterated cocaine: an excellent review
Cocaine, levamisole, and the white blood countÂ
Dramatic pictures: vasculitis caused by levamisole-contaminated cocaine
Scrotal gangrene after smoking crack
Unusual complication of cocaine abuse
Case reports: neutropenia associated with levamisole-adulterated cocaine
Why is the antihelminthic drug levamisole used to adulterate cocaine?
Cocaine adulterated with levamisole implicated in 21 cases of agranulocytosis
Source: The Poison Review - Category: Toxicology Authors: Leon Tags: Medical aminorex cocaine levamisole pulmonary hypertension Source Type: news
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