Harsha Vardhan Reddy¹, Misbah Rangwala², Udgeeth Thaker³, Bhupendra Nayak⁴, Sefali Patel⁵* and Khushi Thakor⁵

¹2nd Year Resident, Department of Critical Care Pharmacotherapy, Parul Institute of Pharmacy, India
²MD Anesthesia, IDCCM, EDIC, Critical Care Consultant, Parul Sevashram Hospital, India
³MD General Medicine, IDCCM, Critical Care Consultant, Parul Sevashram Hospital, India
⁴MD Emergency Medicine, DrNB Critical Care Medicine, Critical Care Consultant, Parul Sevashram Hospital, India
⁵Doctor of Pharmacy Intern, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Parul Institute of Pharmacy, India

*Corresponding Author: Sefali Patel, Doctor of Pharmacy Intern, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Parul Institute of Pharmacy, India.

Received: December 09, 2024; Published: December 24, 2024

Abstract

Paraquat poisoning is a major public health problem, owing to the widely application of the highly toxic herbicide paraquat in agrarian regions. Paraquat (N,N′-dimethyl–4, 4′-bipyridinium dichloride) is a highly toxic compound with reported LD50 of about 35 mg/kg for humans. We report a case of a 17-year-old female who developed gastrointestinal injuries, acute kidney injury (AKI), acute liver injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) after the ingestion of 8–10 mL of paraquat. The patient developed oral ulceration and vomiting after ingestion, subsequently requiring intensive care unit admission for marked renal failure and respiratory distress. Although she was placed on dialysis and treated aggressively—the effort to save her was heroic—she quickly deteriorated and died as multiple organ system failure ensued. This case illustrates an important paradigm of urgent medical intervention for paraquat ingestion and the subsequent difficulty in treatment due to a lack of focused antidote. Moreover, it highlights the need for preventive measures as well as better awareness of paraquat exposure (particularly in agriculture) among vulnerable subgroups. The findings from this case reinforce the necessity for ongoing research into effective treatment modalities for paraquat poisoning and advocate for enhanced educational efforts on safe handling practices to mitigate the risk of future poisonings.

Keywords: Paraquat Poisoning; Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS); Multi-organ Failure; Acute Kidney Injury (AKI); Poison Management

References

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Citation

Citation: Sefali Patel., et al. “Paraquat Poisoning in an Young Adolescent: A Case Report". Acta Scientific Pharmacology 5.1 (2025): 52-55.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Sefali Patel., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.