Prognosis in substance abuse-related acute toxic leukoencephalopathy: A scoping review

Objectives: Abuse of opiates, cocaine, and lipophilic inhalants (e.g., toluene) can damage brain myelin and cause acute toxic leukoencephalopathy (TL), but little is known about recovery or prognosis in this condition. In light of the ongoing opiate epidemic in the United States, it is important to understand the natural history of patients who have acute neurological complications from illicit drug exposure. Our aim was to conduct a scoping review of the literature regarding prognosis in described cases of substance abuse-related TL.

Methods: A strategic search of PubMed, Ovid, Cumulative Index to Nursing, and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) databases yielded adult cases of acute TL from opiates, cocaine, or inhalants. Cases and case series were eligible for inclusion if they described acute leukoencephalopathy with a clear temporal association with opiate, cocaine, or inhalant abuse. Inclusion was contingent on availability of clinical descriptions until death or ≥ 4 weeks follow-up with neuroimaging consistent with TL.

Results: Among 52 cases from 14 articles, 21 (40.4%) individuals died with mean time to death of 28.2 days; with mean follow-up of 12.8 months, 10 (19.2%) survived with no recovery, 17 (32.7%) had partial recovery, and 4 (7.7%) individuals had full recovery.

Conclusion: Substance abuse-related acute TL often has a poor prognosis, but partial or even full recovery is possible in a subgroup of individuals over months to years.