Condition Lookup
Sub-Category:
Intentional Overdoses
Number of Conditions: 2
Suicide attempts via pharmaceutical or chemical agents
Specialty: Toxicology
Category: Deliberate and Accidental Poisoning
Sub-category: Intentional Overdoses
Symptoms:
altered mental status; respiratory depression; seizures; nausea; vomiting; abdominal pain; cardiac arrhythmias; coma
Root Cause:
Ingestion of toxic doses of medications (e.g., sedatives, opioids, antidepressants) or chemicals (e.g., household cleaners, industrial substances) causes systemic toxicity and organ dysfunction.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Clinical history (when available), physical examination, toxicology screens (blood and urine), serum drug levels, and imaging studies (if structural damage is suspected).
Treatment:
Stabilization (airway, breathing, circulation), decontamination (e.g., activated charcoal if appropriate), specific antidotes (e.g., naloxone for opioids), symptomatic management (e.g., anti-seizure medications), and supportive care (e.g., IV fluids, mechanical ventilation).
Medications:
Antidotes such as naloxone (opioid antagonist), flumazenil (benzodiazepine antagonist), and N-acetylcysteine (for acetaminophen overdose); sedatives like benzodiazepines (anticonvulsants) for seizures; and IV fluids for dehydration and hypotension.
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Suicide attempts via pharmaceutical or chemical agents account for approximately 10-20% of emergency toxicology cases worldwide, with variations depending on region and accessibility to medications or chemicals.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
History of mental health disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety), access to toxic substances, substance abuse, prior suicide attempts, and social stressors.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Prognosis depends on the type and amount of substance ingested, time to treatment, and overall health of the individual. With timely intervention, most cases are survivable. Delayed or inadequate treatment may lead to significant morbidity or mortality.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Organ failure (e.g., liver or kidney damage), aspiration pneumonia, prolonged hospital stays, chronic neurological deficits, and death.
Use of pesticides or rodenticides for self-harm (e.g., paraquat poisoning)
Specialty: Toxicology
Category: Deliberate and Accidental Poisoning
Sub-category: Intentional Overdoses
Symptoms:
severe gastrointestinal symptoms; respiratory distress; renal failure; hepatic injury; metabolic acidosis; cardiac arrhythmias; multi-organ failure
Root Cause:
Ingestion or dermal/inhalational exposure to highly toxic substances like paraquat causes oxidative stress, leading to systemic toxicity, severe organ damage, and often death.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
History of exposure (when available), clinical symptoms, laboratory tests (e.g., serum paraquat levels, kidney/liver function tests, blood gases), and imaging (e.g., chest X-rays for pulmonary damage).
Treatment:
Prompt decontamination (e.g., activated charcoal or gastric lavage), supportive care (e.g., oxygen, IV fluids), administration of antioxidants (e.g., N-acetylcysteine, vitamin C), and hemodialysis or hemoperfusion in severe cases. Specific treatment protocols vary depending on the substance.
Medications:
Activated charcoal (decontaminant), antioxidants (e.g., N-acetylcysteine, vitamin C) to reduce oxidative damage, and immunosuppressants (e.g., cyclophosphamide , corticosteroids) in certain cases to mitigate inflammatory damage.
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Paraquat poisoning is a significant public health concern, especially in agricultural regions, with high mortality rates (50-90%) in intentional ingestion cases due to its extreme toxicity.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Easy access to pesticides, agricultural work, poor regulation of toxic substances, mental health disorders, and prior suicide attempts.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Extremely poor prognosis with paraquat ingestion, as no effective antidote exists. Early intervention can improve outcomes, but mortality remains high. Other pesticides vary in severity based on dose and toxicity.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Pulmonary fibrosis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), renal failure, hepatic failure, and death.