Doctors warn of deadly brain swelling from fentanyl as Seattle dad becomes ... trends now
A 47-year-old man almost died after inhaling fentanyl caused his brain to swell, in the first case of its kind linked to the deadly drug.
The condition, toxic leukoencephalopathy, is usually linked to heroin inhalation, and doctors said in a case report this was the first time it had been linked to illicit fentanyl.
The patient, a man from Seattle, was found collapsed in his hotel room in February 2023, while he was on a business trip.
He was previously healthy with no known medical history, and it was the first time he had taken fentanyl, doctors said in the BMJ Case Reports.
Unidentified crushed pills and a white residue were found on the table of his hotel room and white powder was visible around his mouth. He also had dried vomit and scant red blood on his lips.
A 47-year-old man almost died after inhaling fentanyl caused his brain to swell, in the first case of its kind linked to the deadly drug (stock)
Toxic leukoencephalopathy is a rare condition that causes damage to the brain's white matter. The condition causes confusion, behavioral changes, impaired bodily control and motor deficit, unresponsiveness and death.
Doctors have said that the white matter could become inflamed and injured due to toxins in heroin and fentanyl directing damaging the myelin sheath, the insulating layer around nerves in the brain, or the capillary endothelium, which is the barrier between the blood and the brain.
About 17 percent of patients with the condition who have inhaled heroin will die. There is no definitive treatment for the condition, but it can include high doses of vitamin C and E.
It is thought that the inflammation of the white matter occurs as part of the alterations the brain undergoes
