Ökat missbruk av Internetdrogen MDPV i Västmanland. Svåra förgiftningsfall har gett sjukvården stora problem
Sammanfattning
A retrospective study of medical records from a regional hospital in Sweden revealed a large increase in the number of patients seeking medical care for intoxication with stimulant narcotics in April and May 2012 compared with the same period in 2010 and 2011. In 82% of the cases in 2012, MDPV (3,4-methylenedioxypyrovalerone) was recorded as the suspected drug of abuse, representing a 7–15 fold increase compared with the preceding years. The rate of hospitalization for stimulant toxicity increased 5–18 fold and the need for intensive care treatment rose from 2 days in 2010–2011 to 43 days in 2012. Among 17 blood and/or urine samples (37% of the cases in 2012) analysed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, 13 (76%) tested positive for MDPV. In about 95% of the suspected MDPV cases, patients were classified as chronic drug abusers. The dramatic increase in need for medical care in a population of chronic drug users exposed to a new drug indicates that MDPV may be an exceptionally dangerous substance.