Abstract
Background
Cannabinoid-containing substances are commonly abused worldwide. Significant toxicity
from these substances is uncommon in adults but can result in significant symptoms
in children; these symptoms are usually short-lived.
Objectives
To report a case of prolonged mental status alteration of more than 2 days in a child
who ingested hashish.
Case Report
A 14-month-old child presented comatose to a pediatric emergency department after
ingestion of hashish; she did not regain consciousness for more than 48 h. Quantitative testing of the child’s urine for a tetrahydrocannabinol metabolite
revealed a markedly elevated level, the decline of which coincided with the child’s
clinical improvement.
Conclusions
Significant ingestion of cannabinoid-containing substances is capable of causing prolonged
symptoms (including coma) in children.
Keywords
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Journal of Emergency MedicineAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Intoxication from accidental marijuana ingestion.Pediatrics. 1983; 71: 848-850
- Cannabis cookies: a cause of coma.J Paediatr Child Health. 1996; 32: 194-195
- Coma due to cannabis toxicity in an infant.Eur J Emerg Med. 2006; 13: 177-179
- Hashish ingestion in toddlers.Vet Hum Toxicol. 1991; 33 ([abstract]): 393
- Ingestion of cannabis: a cause of coma in children.Pediatr Emerg Care. 1989; 5: 238-239
- Cannabis potency and contamination: a review of the literature.Addiction. 2008; 103: 1100-1109
- Delta9 THC content in illicit cannabis products over the period 1997–2004 (first four months).Ann Ist Super Sanita. 2005; 41: 483-485
- Flumazenil for coma reversal in children after cannabis.Lancet. 1993; 341: 1028-1029
- Cannabinoids in humans. II. The influence of three methods of hydrolysis on the concentration of THC and two metabolites in urine.J Anal Toxicol. 1995; 19: 292-298
Article Info
Publication History
Published online: July 16, 2010
Accepted:
May 18,
2010
Received in revised form:
April 17,
2010
Received:
January 25,
2010
Footnotes
The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, Department of Defense, or the United States Government.
Identification
Copyright
© 2011 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
