Metabolic acidosis during treatment of mushroom poisoning: a diagnostic pitfall

Intern Med. 2012;51(9):1077-80. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.51.6405. Epub 2012 Apr 29.

Abstract

Metabolic acidosis is a frequently encountered acid-base disturbance in hospitalized patients that occasionally develops in the course of treatment with medications used in everyday clinical practice, including propylene glycol-containing drugs (lorazepam, diazepam, etomidate, pentobarbital). Disruption of enterohepatic circulation with activated charcoal is a common practice for several intoxications, including mushroom poisoning. Herein, we present a patient who was hospitalized due to mushroom intoxication and developed severe metabolic acidosis as a treatment side effect rather than from the mushroom poisoning. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on propylene glycol-containing activated charcoal-induced metabolic acidosis.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Acidosis / chemically induced*
  • Acidosis / diagnosis*
  • Aged
  • Charcoal / adverse effects
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Mushroom Poisoning / diagnosis*
  • Mushroom Poisoning / drug therapy*
  • Silybin
  • Silymarin / adverse effects
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Silymarin
  • Charcoal
  • Silybin