Abstract
Background: In the past 2 years, we have encountered in our clinic an increased number of patients with multicentric pneumonia related to non-heroin intravenous drug use (so-called “ethnobotanic substances”), probably favorised by the low cost and legal status of these substances. We present three clinical cases with this pathology, in the attempt not only to describe the well-known clinical picture, but to warn about the severity of this community problem related to the usage of legal etnobotanic drugs.
The clinical cases: The three patients had a very similar clinical picture: poor social background (disorganized families, homeless, prisoners), history of intravenous drug use (especially heroin), recently using etnobotanic powders intravenously, positive HCV, negative HIV and VHB, multiple bilateral lung opacities on X-Ray, similar symptomatology (fever, dyspnea, cough with mucopurulent sputum), tricuspid valve endocarditis (confirmed by echocardiography). The bacteriological exam (hemocultures and sputum) were negative probably related to the empirical antibiotic usage prior hospitalisation. Two patients improuved slowly with antibiotic treatment. One critically ill patient died with septic shock and multiple organ insufficiency.
Conclusions: The increased number of cases with multicentric pneumonia and endocarditis related to the usage of the ethnobotanic drugs of legal status reveal their harmful effect when used intravenously.
- © 2011 ERS
