Paraquat intoxication: a review
Keywords:
Paraquat, poisoning, review, urine Paraquat testAbstract
Paraquat is a very toxic herbicide still available in Portugal and
a cause of many deadly cases. The diagnosis is emergent and
sometimes complex. The prognosis is poor, mainly in cases of
high doses intoxication as there is no proven effective therapy.
The authors review the pharmacokinetics, mechanism of action, clinical manifestations, available therapies and prognostic
factors. They highlight the low sensitivity of urine Paraquat test
in diagnosis and the importance of blood Paraquat test in the
prognosis. Finally, a call for the development of research leading
to new therapies is made.
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