Cytogenetic study in children chronically habituated to inhalation of volatile substances

Deliberate inhalation of volatile substances is a common and harmful phenomenon among young persons around the world. Clinical and cytogenetic studies were performed in 35 children (33 boys and 2 girls) chronically habituated to inhalation of volatile agents, with the aim to define whether this practice is associated with chromosome abnormalities and if so to what extent. A significant increase in the rate of chromosome abnormalities and in the frequency of sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) was found in sniffers over the values in controls (p less than 0.001). Clinical, socioeconomic, and cytogenetic findings are discussed.