We reviewed 26 dapsone intoxication patients who had visited Severance Hospital Emergency Care Center from January 1991 to January 1995 : 13 of them ingested intentionally, but the other ingested accidentally. Among the admitted patients the
highest and
lowtheest initial value of methemoglobin level is 59.6% & 10.1%. The frequency of symptoms at presentaion was following 16 patients complained cyanosis of lip area, 10 patients complained dyspnea, 4 patients complained mental change, 4 patients
complained vomiting, 2 patients complained nausea. The inital level of methemoglobin was less than 50% except in one patient. In the view points of total doses of methylene blue used, less than 100mg was used in 9 patients(34.6%) but in one case,
amount
of 6400mg was loaded. There were 5 patients(19.2%) in September & 4 patients (15.4%) in January. In respect of result, there were 13 discharged cases (50%) for symptom improvement, and 5 mortality cases(19.2%). The transferred cases from
Gangwon-do
account 19 patients(73.1%). All of them is not directly emergency care center visiting patients but transferred patients from remotely located hospitals. Dapsone intoxication results in severe tissue hypoxic symptoms from malfunction of normal
hemoglobin thus only with appropriate available doses of methylene blue & activated charcoal, good outcomes will be expected. If aggressive therapy such as hemodialysis is introduced in treatment of severe dapsone intoxication, the outcomes may
be
slightly improved better than in other supportive care cases.
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