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Abstract
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BACKGROUND: Yellow oleander/Cerebra thevetia/Pila kaner a plant widely cultivated in the plains in India is highly poisonous. Kernels of the seeds contain glycosides thevetin, the vetoxin, cerberin, and peruvoside. Poisoning usually leads to gastrointestinal and cardiac toxicity.
Aims and Objectives: Our aim was to determine the clinical profile of yellow oleander poisoning with special emphasis on cardiac toxicity, neurotoxicity if any and outcome of management using currently available treatment.
Materials and Methods: We studied 60 patients with yellow oleander poisoning prospectively admitted in Hospital. A 12 lead electrocardiogram 3 min rhythm ECG strip and blood sample for measurement of electrolytes, Serum calcium, urea and creatinine and liver function tests were taken before treatment. ECG was also done in every patient on 2nd day of admission and at the time of discharge. Serum cardiac glycosides could not be donedue to lack of facilities.
Results: Toxic manifestations included were Gastrointestinal, cardiac toxicity in the form of cardiac arrhythmia but some patients developed neurological symptoms in the form of tremor (6 patients -10%), ataxia( 8 patients-13.33%)at the end of first week, and focal seizure (only four patients-6.66%).
CONCLUSION: In our study we found gastrointestinal symptoms(vomiting, loose motion with dehydration) and cardiological symptoms (sinus tachycardia, sinus bradycardia, AV block and nodal rhythm, ventricular ectopics are more commonly present in Yellow oleander poisoning. Moreover we have found some Neurological symptoms in our study in the form of tremor, ataxia and focal seizures.
Language: en |