Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Oct 19;14(10):1061.
doi: 10.3390/ph14101061.

Poppers Use and High Methaemoglobinaemia: 'Dangerous Liaisons'

Malcolm Barrangou-Poueys-Darlas  1 , Marie Gerardin  1 , Sylvie Deheul  2 , Marion Istvan  1 , Marylène Guerlais  1 , Fan, Pascale Jolliet  1   3 , Thomas Dejoie  4 , Caroline Victorri-Vigneau  1   3
Affiliations

Poppers Use and High Methaemoglobinaemia: 'Dangerous Liaisons'

Malcolm Barrangou-Poueys-Darlas et al. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). .

Abstract

Poppers are legal and largely used in France despite severe side effects, such as methaemoglobinaemia (MetHbia). Our work aimed to assess the prevalence of poppers consumers among patients with a MetHbia higher than or equal to 5% in French university hospitals and its evolution before and after the legalization of poppers in France. We conducted a national multicentre observational retrospective study. All patients for whom at least one MetHbia measurement was performed from 2012 to 2017 in university hospitals where the French addictovigilance network (FAN) is implanted were included. For each MetHbia measurement exceeding or equal to 5%, a return to the clinical file was made by the FAN to assess poppers consumption. We calculated the prevalence of MetHbia exceeding or equal to 5% and 25% and the prevalence of poppers consumption before and after the legalization. A total of 239 (0.14%) patients had a MetHbia level exceeding or equal to 5% with 25 (10.46%) cases of poppers consumption. Poppers consumption represented 68.4% (13 out of 19) of cases with MetHbia greater than or equal to 25%. Poppers consumption among patients with MetHbia exceeding or equal to 5% increased after the legalization from 4.76% to 11.67% (prevalence ratio PR = 2.45, 95% CI = [0.98-8.37], p-value = 0.190). The proportion of patients with a MetHbia level of 25% or more increased after the legalization from 4.76% to 8.63% (PR = 1.81, 95% CI = [0.68-6.82], p-value = 0.374). The use of poppers is very frequently reported by patients with MetHbia greater than or equal to 25%.

Keywords: abuse; methaemoglobinaemia; poppers; toxicity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All the authors declared that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of CEIP-A participating in the study and identified popper consumption cases. CEIP-A: Drug Dependence Evaluation and Information Centres (Centre d’évaluation et d’Information sur la Pharmacodépendance—Addictovigilance). MetHbia: Methaemoglobinaemia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Observatoire Français Des Drogues et Des Toxicomanies (OFDT) Poppers, Colles et Autres Solvants—Synthèse Des Connaissances—OFDT. [(accessed on 30 August 2021)]. Available online: https://www.ofdt.fr/produits-et-addictions/de-z/poppers-colles-et-autres...
    1. Hunter L., Gordge L., Dargan P.I., Wood D.M. Methaemoglobinaemia Associated with the Use of Cocaine and Volatile Nitrites as Recreational Drugs: A Review. Br. J. Clin. Pharmacol. 2011;72:18–26. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.2011.03950.x. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Observatoire français Des Drogues et Des Toxicomanies (OFDT) Evolution de L’usage Au Cours de La Vie de Substances Psychoactives (Hors Alcool, Tabac et Cannabis) Parmi Les 17—OFDT. [(accessed on 30 August 2021)]. Available online: https://www.ofdt.fr/statistiques-et-infographie/series-statistiques/evol...
    1. Gérome C., Cadet-Taïrou A., Gandilhon M., Milhet M., Martinez M., Néfau T., Observatoire Français Des Drogues et Des Toxicomanies (OFDT) Substances Psychoactives, Usagers et Marchés: Les Tendances Récentes (2017–2018) Tendances. 2018;129:8p.
    1. Broady T., Mao L., Lee E., Bavinton B., Keen P., Bambridge C., Mackie B., Duck T., Cooper C., Prestage G., et al. Gay Community Periodic Survey: Sydney 2018. [(accessed on 13 February 2020)]. Available online: http://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/fapi/datastream/unsworks:52117/binae80f831-8....