|
KMID : 0388419990090010071
|
|
Konkuk Journal of Medical Sciences
1999 Volume.9 No. 1 p.71 ~ p.80
|
|
|
A Clinical Study on Paraquat Intoxication
|
|
Song Jong-Oh
|
|
|
Abstract
|
|
|
Paraquat(1,1’-dimethyl-4,4’-bipyridyldiylium dichloride, molecular weight : 256) is a nonspecific herbicide with high toxicity. Paraquat has been marketed since mid-1960s as a contact herbicide and dessicant worldwide. Most cases of death from paraquat intoxication are from ingestion of blue-green liquid formulation for attempting suicide. Treatment of paraquat intoxication is a conservative measurement including decontamination and elimination of paraquat by a dialysis. We evaluated the clinical aspect of this highly toxic and fatal intoxications with 85 patients who visited emergency room of Konkuk University Medical Center Chung-ju Hospital from 1991 to 1998 with the diagnosis of intoxication of paraquat. The clinical aspect includes age and sex, annual incidence, causes of poisoning, arrival time, presence or absence of alcohol
consumption, clinical symptoms and laboratory findings on arrival, admission time, relation between prognosis and amount of ingestion. Most intoxication occurred in 30-40 years of age and showed male predominance. Steady state occurrence rate was shown during observation period. Most patients arrived between 1 and 6 hours after ingestion.
Most common cause of intoxication was suicidal ingestion and next was accidental ingestion. Male patients consume alcohol more than female patients. Most common symptom on arrival was vomiting. Nausea, glycosuria, sore throat, proteinuria, dyspnea, epigastric pain were followed. Laboratory findings showed occasional leukocytosis, elevated transaminases, azotemia, hypoxia, acidemia, hyponatremia, hypokalemia. Admission time was short in expired cases and prolonged in improved cases. There was no recovery in the cases of ingestion of more than 50㎖ of paraquat and no death in the cases of ingestion of less than 10㎖ of paraquat.
|
|
|
KEYWORD
|
|
|
Paraquat, intoxication, poisoning, herbicide
|
|
|
FullTexts / Linksout information
|
|
|
|
|
|
Listed journal information
|
|
|
|
|