Citation

Moon JM, Chun BJ. Hum. Exp. Toxicol. 2011; 30(8): 844-850.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0960327110385633

PMID

20921062

Abstract

Paraquat (PQ) poisoning is an extremely difficult condition to manage clinically because of the lack of effective treatments. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of high doses of vitamin C in combination with anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant therapy in patients with PQ poisoning. The medical records of 134 patients who presented to the emergency department within 24 hours after PQ poisoning were reviewed retrospectively. The 57 patients presented between January 2004 and September 2005 were group 1; they received pulse therapy, which included cyclophosphamide and methylprednisolone, followed by the administration of dexamethasone over 2 weeks. The 77 patients that presented between October 2005 and January 2008 were group 2; they received the above-mentioned therapy and high-dose vitamin C for 2 weeks. There was no difference in the distribution of baseline variables between the 2 groups. However, group 2 showed a significant reduction in acute kidney injury related to PQ. Furthermore, a multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the addition of vitamin C to the treatment was significantly associated with an increased survival of the patients. Larger trials will be needed to verify the effect of high-dose vitamin C on survival in patients with PQ poisoning.

Language: en

Keywords

Humans; Female; Logistic Models; Male; Middle Aged; Poisoning; Retrospective Studies; Cohort Studies; Treatment Outcome; Suicide, Attempted; Paraquat; Drug Therapy, Combination; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Hospitals, University; Antioxidants; Immunosuppressive Agents; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Medical Records; Ascorbic Acid