Neurological recovery following NOS-SACD (NOS)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Longitudinal assessment of neurological recovery in patients following nitrous oxide abuse
IRAS ID
321711
Contact name
Nikos Evangelou
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Research and Innovation, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Nitrous oxide has become an increasingly popular recreational drug amongst young people, particularly at festivals, nightclubs and parties. Considering the drug is not illegal to possess, has low cost in the form of ‘whippets’ and can be easily purchased online, it has become the second most commonly used recreational drug amongst people aged 16-24 in the UK. However, nitrous oxide is known to irreversibly inactivate the functioning of vitamin B12, a vitamin required for the maintenance and proper functioning of nerves in the spinal cord. Neurological symptoms in this population have been reported in around 3.4% of nitrous oxide users, although the true incidence is expected to be higher as the cases being reported by UK hospitals continues to rise.
Patients may present with adverse neurological symptoms like tingling, weakness, coordination and mobility problems. Currently, studies reviewing the functional recovery of these patients have been limited by a retrospective study design, short follow up duration and being limited to small cohort sizes. This is in part linked to patient non-compliance and non-attendance at follow-up appointments. We will therefore prospectively recruit all patients presenting with these symptoms and continue to collect data relating to their neurological recovery for 12 months. Data collection will be remote to ensure it is of low burden to the participants. This will allow us and others to fully appraise the severity of these toxic neuropathies and understand how best to manage their follow up.
REC name
West Midlands - Solihull Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/WM/0049
Date of REC Opinion
22 May 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion