TOPLINE:

US deaths related to poisoning from the inhalant drug nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas or whippets, increased from 23 in 2010 to 156 in 2023 in a new study. Although mortality rates plateaued after 2019, the findings highlight a concerning trend in recreational use of this drug, researchers noted.

METHODOLOGY:

In this cohort study, researchers obtained death certificate data from 2010 to 2023 using the CDC Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research multiple causes of death database.

The analysis included the annual number of deaths involving nitrous oxide poisoning and age-adjusted overdose mortality rates per 100,000 population among US residents aged 15-74 years.

Causes of death were categorized as accidental/unintentional poisoning, intentional self-poiso

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