Paraquat Poisoning Cases in A Referral Center in Tehran, Iran; A Clinical Inspection

paraquat is a cheap and easy access herbicide which its intoxication is limited in Iran. The current study aims to provide some epidemiologic data within paraquat poisoning from the most crowded referral center of clinical toxicology in Iran.

We investigated the paraquat poisoning patients who were admitted to Loghman-Hakim Hospital in Tehran, Iran from 2008 to 2016.

A total of 12 patients participated in this study, 50% of these patients were between 10-20 years old, 41.7% were between 26-40 years old, and 8.3% were above 55 years old. About 83.3% were male, and 16.7% were female. Treatments which were given in the hospital include cyclophosphamide (58.3%), cortisol (75%), vitamin C (50%), vitamin E (83.3%), N-acetyl cysteine (83.3%).  66.6 percent of hospitalized patients required invasive measures to preserve their airways, with 3.33 percent undergoing tracheostomy and the same percentage undergoing intubation. There were five fatalities among the patients, three of which were related to pulmonary and renal failure.

This study indicates that the majority are younger than 40 years and males. Prevention and limited access to this substance is necessary in terms of the lack of antidote.