Dai Qi, Chen Shutong, Zhang Xiaodan, Fan Kuixin, Zhang Jingfeng, Zheng Jianjun
Department of Radiology, Ningbo No.2 Hospital, Ningbo, China.
School of Medical Imaging, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China.
Front Neurol. 2024 Jun 27;15:1416557. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1416557. eCollection 2024.
The abuse of nitrous oxide (NO) poses a substantial public health challenge. In many countries, including China, regulations governing the utilization and accessibility to NO remain ambiguous, particularly within the food industry. Here, we report a case of a 21-year-old female who presented with symptoms of subacute combined degeneration (SCD) of the spinal cord due to NO abuse. The patient exhibited bilateral lower limb numbness and weakness, low serum vitamin B12 levels with elevated homocysteine levels, and lumbar spine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed abnormal signals of the spinal cord. Following cessation of NO and comprehensive therapy including methylcobalamin and nerve growth factor, the symptoms significantly improved. A follow-up examination 3 months later showed good progress in gait stability. At a 5-year follow-up, the patient's previous clinical symptoms had completely disappeared, and her quality of life had returned to normal. This case underscores the urgency of raising awareness and prevention of NO abuse, emphasizing the importance of timely diagnosis and comprehensive treatment for patient recovery. Clear formulation and enforcement of relevant regulatory measures are equally crucial in reducing instances of abuse.
一氧化二氮（NO）的滥用对公众健康构成了重大挑战。在包括中国在内的许多国家，关于NO使用和获取的规定仍然不明确，尤其是在食品行业。在此，我们报告一例21岁女性因滥用NO出现脊髓亚急性联合变性（SCD）症状的病例。患者表现为双侧下肢麻木和无力，血清维生素B12水平低且同型半胱氨酸水平升高，腰椎磁共振成像（MRI）显示脊髓信号异常。在停止使用NO并进行包括甲钴胺和神经生长因子在内的综合治疗后，症状明显改善。3个月后的随访检查显示步态稳定性有良好进展。在5年的随访中，患者先前的临床症状完全消失，生活质量恢复正常。该病例强调了提高对NO滥用的认识和预防的紧迫性，强调了及时诊断和综合治疗对患者康复的重要性。明确制定和执行相关监管措施对于减少滥用情况同样至关重要。
