arsenic intoxication

arsenic poisoning

Toxicity caused by arsenic, a toxic trace metal that is a key component of herbicides, insecticides, rodenticides, wood preservatives and used in manufacturing glass and paints. The usual fatal dose is 100–200 mg; there are ± 1900 arsenic poisonings/year (US), 85% of which are accidental by children < age 6; the rest are adult suicides.
 
Clinical findings
Vague gastrointestinal (nausea, vomiting) and neurologic (apprehension and shortness of breath) symptoms, and a classic sign—“garlic” breath—followed by dysphagia, tachycardia, severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhoea, then by renal and cardiac failure and circulatory collapse.
 
Treatment
Dimercaprol (BALS).

Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

arsenic intoxication

Arsenic poisoning A toxic trace metal that is a key component of herbicides, insecticides, rodenticides, wood preservatives, and used in manufacturing glass, and paints; the usual fatal dose is 100–200 mg; there are ± 1900 arsenic intoxications/yr–US, 85% of which are accidental by children < age 6; the rest are adult suicides Clinical Vague GI–N&V and neurologic–apprehension and SOB symptoms, and a classic sign, 'garlic' breath, followed by dysphagia, tachycardia, severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea, then by renal and cardiac failure and circulatory collapse Treatment Dimercaprol–BAL. See Heavy metals.

McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.