1. Cough mixture abuse as a novel cause of folate deficiency: a prospective, community-based, controlled study.
- Author
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Au WY, Tsang SK, Cheung BK, Siu TS, Ma ES, and Tam S
- Subjects
- Adult, Case-Control Studies, Data Collection, Dental Caries chemically induced, Erythrocyte Indices, Female, Folic Acid Deficiency blood, Folic Acid Deficiency epidemiology, Hemoglobins analysis, Hong Kong epidemiology, Humans, Incidence, Male, Mass Screening, Nervous System Diseases chemically induced, Platelet Count, Prospective Studies, Substance-Related Disorders blood, Substance-Related Disorders epidemiology, Vitamin B 12 Deficiency blood, Vitamin B 12 Deficiency chemically induced, Vitamin B 12 Deficiency epidemiology, Antitussive Agents adverse effects, Codeine adverse effects, Dextromethorphan adverse effects, Folic Acid Deficiency chemically induced, Substance-Related Disorders complications
- Abstract
Cough mixture abuse has been reported to cause severe folate deficiency and neurological defects. We carried out a prospective case-controlled survey to confirm this association and define the incidence and severity of the problem. A total of 57 cough mixture abusers and 47 other substance abusers (controls) were studied. When compared with controls, cough mixture abusers had a high incidence of low folate levels that could only be detected by screening. more...
- Published
- 2007
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