Pulmonary edema in fatal heroin overdose: immunohistological investigations with IgE, collagen IV and laminin - no increase of defects of alveolar-capillary membranes

Pulmonary edema complicating heroin overdosage is a well recognized entity and regarded as the major mechanism contributing to death in heroin addicts . It's pathogenesis is unknown, several mechanisms are discussed: hypoxia-i nduced increase of pulmonary capillary permeability, depressed myocardial c ontractility, centrally induced respiratory depression, primary toxic effec ts on the alveolar capillaries and acute anaphylactic shock. The present st udy included opiate-related deaths (n = 23) and a control group of sudden c ardiovascular deaths (n = 12) to verify the hypothesis, that defects of the alveolar capillary membranes and/or an acute anaphylactic reaction leads t o pulmonary congestion, edema and hemorrhages. Lung specimens were obtained from these 35 autopsies of persons autopsied in the Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bonn, in 1997 and 1998. All specimens were examined with hematoxylin-eosin, prussian blue and investigated with immunohistolog ical methods using primary antibodies against collagen IV, laminin and IgE. Defects of the basal laminae of the alveoli were found, demonstrated by la minin and collagen IV, and the number of IgE-positive cells was counted in both groups. There was an increased but not significant number of IgE-posit ive cells in the heroin-group and defects of the epithelial and endothelial basal laminae were found in both groups without significant differences. ( C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.