Pulmonary damage due to paraquat poisoning through skin absorption

Respiration. 1995;62(2):101-3. doi: 10.1159/000196400.

Abstract

A case of recovery from acute respiratory insufficiency due to paraquat is described. A 57-year-old farmer developed breathlessness, high fever and interstitial infiltrates in the upper and middle lung fields few days after percutaneous paraquat poisoning with rapid evolution to pulmonary fibrosis. Anti-inflammatory drugs and antioxidants, were administered to the patient, though with a delay, with some improvement; the patient survived despite residual lung fibrosis. Paraquat lung, as confirmed by this paper, is not invariably fatal.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Acute Disease
  • Agricultural Workers' Diseases / chemically induced*
  • Ascorbic Acid / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Methylprednisolone / therapeutic use
  • Middle Aged
  • Paraquat / pharmacokinetics*
  • Paraquat / poisoning*
  • Poisoning / drug therapy
  • Pulmonary Fibrosis / chemically induced*
  • Pulmonary Fibrosis / drug therapy
  • Skin Absorption*
  • Vitamin E / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Vitamin E
  • Paraquat
  • Ascorbic Acid
  • Methylprednisolone