title: Acute heroin intoxication in a baby chronically exposed to cocaine and heroin: a case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Acute intoxication with drugs of abuse in children is often only the tip of the iceberg, actually hiding chronic exposure. Analysis using non-conventional matrices such as hair can provide long-term information about exposure to recreational drugs.
  
  
  METHODS
  We report the case of a one-month-old Caucasian boy admitted to our pediatric emergency unit with respiratory distress and neurological abnormalities. A routine urine test was positive for opiates, suggesting an acute opiate ingestion. No other drugs of misuse, such as cocaine, cannabis, amphetamines or derivatives, were detected in the baby's urine. Subsequently, hair samples from the baby and the parents were collected to evaluate the possibility of chronic exposure to drug misuse by segmental analysis. Opiates and cocaine metabolites were detected in hair samples from the baby boy and his parents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In light of these and previous results, we recommend hair analysis in babies and children from risky environments to detect exposure to heroin and other drug misuse, which could provide the basis for specific social and health interventions.
authors: Unitat de Recerca Infancia i Entorn (URIE), Institut Municipal d'Investigació Mèdica (IMIM)-Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain. 90458@imas.imim.es.
authors: Xavier
authors: X
authors: Joya
authors: Bibiana
authors: B
authors: Fríguls
authors: Marta
authors: M
authors: Simó
authors: Ester
authors: E
authors: Civit
authors: Rafael
authors: R
authors: de la Torre
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Palomeque
authors: Oriol
authors: O
authors: Vall
authors: Simona
authors: S
authors: Pichini
authors: Oscar
authors: O
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