• Deebya Raj Mishra, Narendra Bhatta, Bidesh Bista, Puru Koirala, and Ramhari Ghimire.
• Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, B. P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal.
• JNMA J Nepal Med Assoc. 2018 Mar 1; 56 (210): 621-624.

AbstractSolvent abuse, as inhalant specially, in the form of low cost adhesives like dendrite is common in low income countries among children and the teens. This habit is often a stepping stone to harder drugs. The neurological and neuropsychological effects of solvent abuse are well explored. But the respiratory effects are often overlooked. In this report, we present a case of a 19 year old gentleman, with regular history of sniffing of commercial "glue" compounds. This patient presented with right sided chest pain and chest x-ray showed a right sided pneumothorax. The pulmonary barotrauma, possibly due to increased intra-alveolar pressure, during the sniffing process can lead to alveolar rupture and in turn, pneumothorax. In the absence of other risk factors for Pneumothorax, the link between inhalant abuse and respiratory complications has to be explored in patients with history of such abuse. Keywords: inhalant abuse; pneumothorax; solvent.

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