Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35973710›Full record

ArticleCMAJ open

Kratom exposures managed by the British Columbia poison centre, 2012-2019: a descriptive analysis.

Noah Reich, Grazia Salvo, Dennis Leong, Victoria Wan, Tom Kosatsky

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in CMAJ open. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Evaluating the drug interactions in kratom usage: clinical application.Expert opinion on drug metabolism & toxicology · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Noah ReichFaculty of Medicine (Reich), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC; Faculty of Medicine (Salvo), University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.; British Columbia Drug and Poison Information Centre (Leong); British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (Wan, Kosatsky), Vancouver, BC Noahaj@student.ubc.ca.
Grazia SalvoFaculty of Medicine (Reich), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC; Faculty of Medicine (Salvo), University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.; British Columbia Drug and Poison Information Centre (Leong); British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (Wan, Kosatsky), Vancouver, BC.
Dennis LeongFaculty of Medicine (Reich), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC; Faculty of Medicine (Salvo), University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.; British Columbia Drug and Poison Information Centre (Leong); British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (Wan, Kosatsky), Vancouver, BC.
Victoria WanFaculty of Medicine (Reich), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC; Faculty of Medicine (Salvo), University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.; British Columbia Drug and Poison Information Centre (Leong); British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (Wan, Kosatsky), Vancouver, BC.
Tom KosatskyFaculty of Medicine (Reich), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC; Faculty of Medicine (Salvo), University of Calgary, Calgary, Alta.; British Columbia Drug and Poison Information Centre (Leong); British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (Wan, Kosatsky), Vancouver, BC.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundKratom, a plant indigenous to Southeast Asia, which has been used both recreationally and in the treatment of pain and opioid dependence, has received little scrutiny in the United States and almost none in Canada. We analyzed calls to the British Columbia poison centre to describe caller-declared exposures to kratom and the acute health effects of these exposures.

methodsFor this descriptive analysis, we accessed electronic records, including transcriptions and extracted variables, of calls specifying kratom exposure managed by the BC Drug and Poison Information Centre (DPIC) from 2012 to 2019. We describe changes in case numbers, reasons for exposure, concurrent drug exposures and clinical outcomes over the study period.

resultsWe identified 32 cases during the study period. In 23 cases (72%), the DPIC was consulted by a health care worker. Case numbers increased from 0 in 2012 to 9 in 2019. Numbers were highest for males in their 20s (

interpretationWe observed a steady increase in kratom-related poison centre calls from 2012 to 2019, especially in young adult males. Rising call numbers may reflect increasing availability of kratom and may be a consequence of BC's opioid crisis, with kratom used by some to lessen symptoms of opioid withdrawal.

Indexed as

MitragynaOpioid-Related DisordersPoisonsSubstance Withdrawal SyndromeBritish ColumbiaHumansMaleUnited StatesYoung AdultPoisons

Identifiers

PMID35973710
PMCPMC9388216

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.