ArticleAnnals of African medicine2025
Excipient Lung Disease and Fatal Outcome Among Young Adults: A Case Series on the Hidden Dangers of Intravenous Drug Abuse in India.
Article in Annals of African medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundExcipient lung disease (ELD) arises from the intravenous (IV) injection of crushed oral tablets, leading to acute or chronic pulmonary complications. Despite its significance, ELD is under-recognized, particularly in countries like India, where over-the-counter availability of pharmaceutical drugs contributes to rising abuse rates. This study investigates sudden deaths among young adults due to ELD, emphasizing the need for increased awareness and preventive measures. MATERIALS AND
methodsThis case series examined 10 cases of sudden death in individuals aged 18-25 with a history of IV drug abuse. Data were collected from postmortem examinations, death scene investigations, and toxicological and histopathological analyses. The aim was to confirm ELD as the cause of death and understand its presentation.
resultsDeaths in these cases were strongly associated with drug overdoses. Death scene investigations revealed signs of IV drug use, such as track marks and drug paraphernalia. External and internal examinations showed consistent pathological findings, including edematous lungs with frothy secretions, granulomatous reactions in the pulmonary vasculature, and right ventricular hypertrophy. Toxicological analyses detected substances such as tapentadol and tetrahydrocannabinol, with excipients linked to ELD found in histopathological examinations.
conclusionWhen injected, excipients such as talc and microcrystalline cellulose lead to granulomatous reactions and pulmonary complications. The study highlights the prevalence of ELD among young adults in India and the challenges in diagnosing this condition due to its nonspecific presentation and lack of disclosure of drug abuse history. Effective public health measures and stricter regulation of prescription drugs are crucial in preventing ELD-related deaths. This study underscores the severe health risks associated with IV drug abuse of oral tablets, leading to ELD. The findings emphasize the need for enhanced awareness, accurate documentation, and preventive strategies to address the rising substance abuse among youth in India.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.