Cotton fever

Cotton fever is a syndrome that is often associated with intravenous drug use, specifically the use of cotton to filter drugs like heroin. The cause of the condition has been established to be the endotoxin shed by the bacteria Enterobacter agglomerans which colonizes cotton plants. A condition very similar to cotton fever was described in the early 1940s among cotton-farm workers. The term cotton fever was coined in 1975 after the syndrome was recognized in intravenous drug users. However, some sources have attributed the symptoms of cotton fever with simple sepsis occasioned by unsafe and unsanitary drug injection practices. This is borne out by the fact cotton fever occurs in equal spread with all injectable drug users, with various filter materials utilized.

Symptoms

Symptoms of cotton fever usually appear with 10–20 minutes after injection. In addition to fever, they may include headaches, malaise, chills, nausea, shortness of breath, and tachycardia. The fever itself usually reaches 38.5–40.3 °C (101–105 °F) within the first hour.^{[citation needed]} The symptoms of cotton fever resemble those of sepsis and patients can be initially misdiagnosed upon admission to a hospital.

Treatment

Dr. H of the website Heroin Helper stresses that cotton fever rarely requires medical treatment. It will usually resolve itself within a few hours to a day. Extreme cases (particularly severe or long-lasting) can be treated with antibiotics.

External links

• Heroin Helper "Cotton Fever" Article for IV Drug Users