Doctors sound the alarm

Nitrous oxide abuse damages heart and brain

Repeated use of laughing gas can even cause a heart attack.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/Comofoto)

Austrian paediatricians are sounding the alarm and warning parents: the misuse of laughing gas is on the rise, especially among children and adolescents - the consequences are massively underestimated. A specialist from Salzburg reports on the dramatic health problems that can occur.

Inhaling laughing gas (nitrous oxide) to get high is becoming increasingly popular in Europe - and is capable of causing all kinds of physical damage: "Nitrous oxide acts as a neurotoxin when used regularly and heavily (!). The irreversible inactivation of vitamin B12 in the body plays an important role in this. This vitamin is important for the nerves, for example.

Nerve damage manifests itself, among other things, in dysesthesia, muscle weakness, loss of balance and other motor disorders, including signs of paralysis," explains Dr. Holger Förster, working group for youth and sports medicine of the Austrian Society for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine with an office in Salzburg.

Inhaling the gas also leads to a lack of oxygen. Repeated use can therefore cause a range of damage. These include brain damage, blood formation disorders, blood clots and heart attacks.

Dr. Holger Förster, Arbeitsgruppe Jugend- und Sportmedizin der Österreichischen Gesellschaft für Kinder- und Jugendheilkunde

"Inhaling the gas also leads to oxygen deficiency. Repeated use can therefore cause a range of damage. These include brain damage, blood formation disorders (anemia) or blood clots (thrombosis) as well as heart attacks," he warns all parents. Anyone who uses the gas directly from cartridges also runs an extremely high risk of severe cold burns and lung injuries.

This is because it freezes when it is released from these containers. Within seconds, it is capable of "burning" the nose, lips, mouth, throat, vocal cords and lungs. Sometimes the swelling can also block the airways in a life-threatening manner. The gas is also under high pressure and sometimes ruptures the lung tissue when inhaled directly.

The popularity of nitrous oxide outside of medical use is due to its easy availability, low price and the false assumption that it is harmless.

Deceptive: in the first few minutes of consumption, there is a brief feeling of happiness, relaxation and a sense of "detachment". The damage comes later ...