ABSTRACT
Pesticide poisoning is an important cause of mobidity and mortality in many developing countries. Many organo-phosphorus (OP) pesticide poisoning cases are reported in teaching medical college hospitals of Tamil Nadu every year. Generally, routine biochemical parameters are studied in detail in acute OP poisoning cases. In this study, an attempt was made to study the isoenzyme pattern of serum creatine kinase (CK) in acute OP poisoning. Acute OP cases were classified according to severity of poisoning. Eight cases in each grade (1, 2, 3 & 4) were selected for the study from IMCU and Toxicology ward of Government General Hospital, Chennai between August 2005 and April 2008, and analysed for isoenzyme of CK. Results revealed elevation of 100% CK-MM fraction of CK for Grade 1, 2 & 3 acute OP poisoning cases. Grade 4 cases showed a mild increase in CK-BB and CK-MB fractions along with predominant CK-MM fraction. The increase of CK in acute OP cases is primarily due to respiratory or pulmonary disorder and is not derived from cardiac or skeletal muscles of the body.