Neurological Recovery Following NOS-SACD

Recruiting now

Conditions studied: Nitrous Oxide Abuse, Subacute Combined Cord Degeneration, Neurologic Symptoms, Paresthesia, B12 Deficiency Vitamin

In brief

Nitrous oxide has become an increasingly popular recreational drug amongst young people, particularly at festivals, nightclubs and parties. Considering the drug is not illegal to possess, has low cost in the form of 'whippets' and can be easily purchased online, it has become the second most commonly used recreational drug amongst people aged 16-24 in the UK. However, nitrous oxide is known to irreversibly inactivate the functioning of vitamin B12, a vitamin required for the maintenance and proper functioning of nerves in the spinal cord. Neurological symptoms in this population have been reported in around 3.4% of nitrous oxide users, although the true incidence is expected to be higher as the cases being reported by UK hospitals continues to rise. Patients may present with adverse neurological symptoms like tingling, weakness, coordination and mobility problems. Currently, studies reviewing the functional recovery of these patients have been limited by a retrospective study design, short follow up duration and being limited to small cohort sizes. This is in part linked to patient non-compliance and non-attendance at follow-up appointments. The investigators will therefore prospectively recruit all patients presenting with these symptoms and continue to collect data relating to their neurological recovery for 12 months. Data collection will be remote to ensure it is of low burden to the participants. This will allow the investigating team and others to fully appraise the severity of these toxic neuropathies and understand how best to manage their follow up.

Key facts

Study ID: NCT05714917
Run by: Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
People needed: 100
Starts: 2024-08-19
Expected to finish: 2026-08-19
Last updated by the study team: 2025-07-25

Who can join

Age: 16 and older, up to 40. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

Any patient first presented with paraesthesia, weakness, ataxia or gait disturbance with a history of NOS use (age limit 16-40) as of 19/08/2024
Patients who can read and write in English, so that they can complete the questionnaires.
Patients must have received a definitive consultant neurologist confirmed diagnosis of NOS-induced neurological damage. This is possible as all eligible patients will have been reviewed by the neurology team prior to study involvement.

You may not qualify if…

Other causes of previous neuropathy or neurodegeneration indicated.
Qualitative Interview Study:
Patients currently taking part in the longitudinal study.
Patients who report previously (clinical history) or currently (PHQ-2, clinical history) experiencing mental health difficulties.

Where it is running

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust — Birmingham, United Kingdom (enrolling)
Barts Health NHS Trust — London, United Kingdom (enrolling)
Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust — Manchester, United Kingdom (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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