A pediatrician warns of the increase in hospitalizations among young people under the age of 15 who have been accidentally exposed to cocaine.
- 46% of children addicted to cocaine were under 6 years old.
- 83% of the most serious cases have been recorded in the last three years.
- Cocaine poisoning causes cardiovascular problems in “big kids” and neurological disorders in “little kids”.
“Coca Kid”. This is the name of a study, published in the scientific journal Clinical Toxicology, which reveals that in recent years more and more children are addicted to cocaine. Between 2010 and 2020, poisonings among young people under 15 increased eightfold. In an interview with France3-RegionsIsabelle Claudet, head of the Children’s Department and Pediatric Emergencies at the Toulouse University Hospital and author of the research, reports that 46% of intoxicated children were under 6 years old, 16% from 6 to 13 years old, 38% over 14 years old.
Children poisoned with cocaine: the most serious cases recorded between 2017 and 2020
According to the study, 83% of the most serious cases were recorded between 2017 and 2020. The majority of them were hospitalized. “Most of the time, it is children who are admitted via the emergency room. We only hospitalize those who are symptomatic, there are some who are not at all, fortunately. And then they are hospitalized in general pediatrics, in resuscitation if there are signs of seriousness”, indicated the pediatrician before explaining that these serious cases are either linked “to better quality” cocaine, or caused by “cutting products” Or “other drugs lying around”.
According to Isabelle Claudet, intoxicated children are collateral victims of parental addictions. “They find cocaine at home which they will inhale or lick, thinking it’s sugar or something else. (…) And there has been since confinement a form of uberization in the modes of purchase and delivery which makes it easier to reach people’s homes”, she told 20 minutes.
Cardiovascular or neurological symptoms
Inhaling or swallowing cocaine is not without health risks for children. In young patients, neurological or cardiovascular symptoms are mainly reported. “Cardiovascular problems, this is especially true in adults. In small children, there are especially neurological problems”, adds the pediatrician. In the list of manifestations, we find an acceleration of the heart rate, convulsions, a drop or an increase in blood pressure or even agitation.
To prevent poisoning, Isabelle Claudet recalls how important it is to inform consumer parents about the risks for their children. “When parents are told that cannabis, which is very commonplace, can put their child into a coma, they don’t expect it to cause such severe symptoms in their children at all. For cocaine, I think that they are also 10,000 miles away from imagining that it could be dangerous for a small child.”