Organophosphate Poisoning from Symptoms to Diagnosis

Poisoning is an important health problem that is common in emergency services. Delay in intervention in the acute process of poisoning can lead to increased mortality and morbidity. Organic phosphorus compounds are widely used in agriculture, in houses, in gardens, in veterinary medicine and in chemical weapons production all around the world. Approximately 3 million people are exposed to organophosphates per year and nearly 300 thousand die. We present a 13-year-old previously healthy girl with generalized tonic clonic seizures. Although there was no pertinent poisoning history, the diagnosis was made based on the clinical signs and the dramatic response to atropine and pralidoxime treatments. After the resolution of the symptoms, the patient confessed that she had attempted suicide with an insecticide. Emergency organophosphate intoxication should be considered especially if abdominal cramps, increased lacrimation and salivation, respiratory distress, arrhythmia, anxiety, seizure, and decreased consciousness are observed in previously healthy children.