A patient with toxic encephalopathy associated with acute carbon monoxide poisoning–A clinical case
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Alexandra Yankova 1 * , Kristiyan Georgiev 2 , Dimitrinka Dimitrova 1 , Vladina Dimitrova-Kirilova 1 , Veselinka Nestorova 1
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1 Department of Optometry and Occupational Diseases, Faculty of Public Health, Medical University Varna, Varna, BULGARIA2 Department of Neurological Diseases and Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University Varna, Varna, BULGARIA * Corresponding Author

Abstract

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless, and lacking in irritative properties gas. It has a higher affinity towards hemoglobin than oxygen and thus the complex carboxyhemoglobin develops. Acute CO poisoning leads to poly-organic insufficiency and the organs that suffer the most are the ones with higher oxygen needs- the brain, the heart and the kidneys. We present a clinical case of 49-year-old woman with a sudden appearance of complaints of dizziness, stiffness throughout the entire body, inability to move. Subsequently she was found by her relatives with disorientated and “foaming around her mouth”. Earlier she had been using a gasoline generator because of a power outage. Her laboratory results came out with higher carboxyhemoglobin (40%), nitrogen waste products and mixed type acidosis. From the conducted brain MRI there were changes, correlating to toxic encephalopathy after acute CO poisoning.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Case Report

ELECTRON J GEN MED, Volume 20, Issue 3, June 2023, Article No: em467

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/12934

Publication date: 01 May 2023

Online publication date: 03 Feb 2023

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Article Downloads: 1057

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