Rising nitrous oxide use has arrived in Germany: Data from poison control centers

Data From Poison Control CentersNitrous oxide abuse has been on the rise in many Western countries for several years, and particularly in countries neighboring Germany such as France and the Netherlands (1, 2).It is used for its euphoria-inducing psychedelic effects.The use of nitrous oxide can, through acute hypoxia and chronic functional vitamin B12 deficiency, cause severe neurological damage (3).The increased reporting on nitrous oxide use also suggests a rise in Germany, although representative data are not yet available.Poison control centers collect data on acute poisoning cases through their emergency consultation services, thereby providing a cross-section of poisoning incidents in the population and enabling the identification of trends (1).This study analyzed case data from German poison control centers on emergency consultations following nitrous oxide exposure between 2000 and 2023. MethodsThis multicenter, retrospective observational study analyzed anonymized case records from six German poison control centers serving a total of 86% of the German population.The period from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2023 was examined.All cases of nitrous oxide exposure-including those in the context of mixed intoxications-were included.The number and type of toxins involved, the date of consultation, patient age and sex, the mode of exposure, and the Poisoning Severity Score (PSS) at the time of consultation were recorded.The trend was modeled using a 3-year moving average and negative binomial regression.