Chronic carotid glomitis in heroin addiction.

The aim of the present work was to investigate the occurrence and immunological characteristics of chronic carotid glomitis in opiate addicts. Carotid bodies were sampled at autopsy from 50 subjects who died of heroin intoxication (mean age 28 years), and from 16 young (24 years) and 10 older subjects (66 years) who died of trauma. Sections were stained with haematoxylin-eosin and azan-Mallory, and immunohistochemistry was carried out with anti-CD45, -CD3, -CD8, -CD4, -CD20, -CD68, -CD56. Inflammatory aggregates were not observed in young cases, but were found in 21/50 (42%) opiate cases and in 4/10 (40%) older cases. Infiltrates were mainly located in subcapsular and interlobular positions, and were also found around nerve fibres. Inflammatory aggregates were mainly composed of T suppressor/cytotoxic lymphocytes (50-80%). Monocytic/macrophagic cells and B lymphocytes comprised about 10% and 5-20% of inflammatory cells, respectively. T helper lymphocytes were fewer and only rare Natural Killer cells were found. Chronic carotid glomitis must be included among the autopsy findings of opiate addiction, and may be ascribed to inflammatory reactions to exogenous immunogens or to responses to drug-induced degenerative changes of carotid body components.

[1]  R. De Caro,et al.  Peripheral chemoreceptors: postnatal development and cytochemical findings in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. , 2008, Histology and histopathology.

[2]  E. Liong,et al.  Differential expressions and roles of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 α ,2 α and-3 α in the rat carotid body during chronic and intermittent hypoxia , 2022 .

[3]  R. De Caro,et al.  Trophic factors in the carotid body. , 2008, International review of cell and molecular biology.

[4]  J. López-Barneo,et al.  Glia-like Stem Cells Sustain Physiologic Neurogenesis in the Adult Mammalian Carotid Body , 2007, Cell.

[5]  E. Gauda,et al.  Peripheral arterial chemoreceptors and sudden infant death syndrome , 2007, Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology.

[6]  G. Ju,et al.  Morphological evidence for existence of IL-6 receptor alpha in the glomus cells of rat carotid body. , 2006, The anatomical record. Part A, Discoveries in molecular, cellular, and evolutionary biology.

[7]  R. Caro,et al.  Adrenomedullin immunoreactivity in the human carotid body , 2006, Peptides.

[8]  N. Prabhakar,et al.  Cellular and molecular mechanisms associated with carotid body adaptations to chronic hypoxia. , 2005, High altitude medicine & biology.

[9]  Y. Hayashida,et al.  Hypoxic adaptation of the rat carotid body. , 2005, Histology and histopathology.

[10]  C. Nurse.  Neurotransmission and neuromodulation in the chemosensory carotid body , 2005, Autonomic Neuroscience.

[11]  D. Guidolin,et al.  Histopathology of carotid body in heroin addiction. Possible chemosensitive impairment , 2005, Histopathology.

[12]  T. Kawakami,et al.  Morphological changes in the rat carotid body 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks after the termination of chronically hypocapnic hypoxia. , 2004, Histology and histopathology.

[13]  M. Pokorski,et al.  The aging carotid body. , 2004, Journal of physiology and pharmacology : an official journal of the Polish Physiological Society.

[14]  M. Cacchio,et al.  Selected contribution: Carotid body as a model for aging studies: is there a link between oxygen and aging? , 2003, Journal of applied physiology.

[15]  Yu-Qiang Ding,et al.  Strong Expression of Interleukin-1 Receptor Type I in the Rat Carotid Body , 2002, The journal of histochemistry and cytochemistry : official journal of the Histochemistry Society.

[16]  H. Ichikawa.  Innervation of the carotid body: Immunohistochemical, denervation, and retrograde tracing studies , 2002, Microscopy research and technique.

[17]  G. Bisgard,et al.  Chronic hypoxia‐induced morphological and neurochemical changes in the carotid body , 2002, Microscopy research and technique.

[18]  T. Kawakami,et al.  Changes in the peptidergic innervation in the carotid body of rats chronically exposed to hypercapnic hypoxia: an effect of arterial CO2 tension. , 2002, Histology and histopathology.

[19]  S. Weis,et al.  The neuropathology of heroin abuse. , 2000, Forensic science international.

[20]  R. Dettmeyer,et al.  Pathogenesis of heroin-associated glomerulonephritis. Correlation between the inflammatory activity and renal deposits of immunoglobulin and complement? , 2000, Forensic science international.

[21]  Tomlinson,et al.  Upregulation of microglia in drug users with and without pre‐symptomatic HIV infection , 1999, Neuropathology and applied neurobiology.

[22]  P. Kerr,et al.  Granulomatous glomerulonephritis in intravenous drug users: a report of three cases in oxycodone addicts. , 1998, Human pathology.

[23]  B. Madea,et al.  Heroin associated nephropathy--a post-mortem study. , 1998, Forensic science international.

[24]  P. Lantos,et al.  HIV‐associated brain pathology in the United Kingdom: an epidemiological study , 1997, AIDS.

[25]  P. Singhal,et al.  Effect of morphine on renomedullary interstitial cell proliferation and matrix accumulation. , 1997, Nephron.

[26]  C. Hagel,et al.  Comparative brain pathology of HIV-seronegative and HIV-infected drug addicts. , 1996, Clinical neuropathology.

[27]  D. Heath.  The carotid bodies in chronic respiratory disease , 1991, Histopathology.

[28]  N. Pulerà,et al.  The carotid bodies in bronchial asthma , 1991, Histopathology.

[29]  D. Heath,et al.  Histopathology of the carotid bodies in neonates and infants , 1990, Histopathology.

[30]  D. Heath,et al.  The distribution of enkephalins in human carotid bodies showing cellular proliferation and chronic glomitis. , 1990, Archives of pathology & laboratory medicine.

[31]  D. Heath,et al.  Chronic carotid glomitis and the glomus pulmonale. , 1990, Journal of Clinical Pathology.

[32]  D. Heath,et al.  Focal chronic thyroiditis and chronic carotid glomitis , 1989, The Journal of pathology.

[33]  W. Zimmerli,et al.  Infectious complications in drug addicts: seven-year review of 269 hospitalized narcotics abusers in Switzerland. , 1989, Reviews of infectious diseases.

[34]  J. Nash,et al.  Chronic carotid glomitis , 1989, Histopathology.

[35]  P. Christoffersen,et al.  Morphological findings in fatal drug addiction. An investigation of injection marks, endocrine organs and kidneys. , 1989, Forensic science international.

[36]  S. Lahiri,et al.  Measurement of carotid body blood flow in cats by use of radioactive microspheres. , 1988, Journal of applied physiology.

[37]  P. Christoffersen,et al.  Lung and heart pathology in fatal drug addiction. A consecutive autopsy study. , 1987, Forensic science international.

[38]  D. Heath,et al.  The carotid bodies in a case of ventricular septal defect , 1986, Histopathology.

[39]  D. Pallot,et al.  Quantitative studies of rat carotid body type I cells. , 1986, Acta anatomica.

[40]  D. Heath,et al.  Histological changes associated with ageing of the human carotid body , 1985, The Journal of pathology.

[41]  J. Quest,et al.  Central nervous system site of action for the respiratory depressant effect of diacetylmorphine (heroin) in the cat. , 1983, The Journal of clinical investigation.

[42]  D. Heath,et al.  Anatomical variation and quantitative histology of the normal and enlarged carotid body , 1982, The Journal of pathology.

[43]  J. Brentjens,et al.  Heroin nephropathy. A clinicopathologic and epidemiologic study. , 1980, The American journal of medicine.

[44]  B. Reisberg,et al.  Infective endocarditis in the narcotic addict. , 1979, Progress in cardiovascular diseases.

[45]  A. Verna.  Ulstrastructure of the carotid body in the mammals. , 1979, International review of cytology.

[46]  E. Friedman,et al.  Natural history of heroin-associated nephropathy. , 1974, The New England journal of medicine.

[47]  G. Eknoyan,et al.  Renal involvement in drug abuse. , 1973, Archives of internal medicine.

[48]  C. Lambertsen,et al.  Observations on the volume of blood flow and oxygen utilization of the carotid body in the cat , 1954, The Journal of physiology.