ABSTRACT
Chlorfenapyr is a widely used, moderately hazardous pesticide. Previous reports have indicated that chlorfenapyr intoxication can be fatal in humans. We reported the first non-fatal case of chlorfenapyr-induced toxic leukoencephalopathy in a 44-year-old female with resolution of extensive and abnormal signal intensities in white matter tracts throughout the brain, brain stem, and spinal cord on serial magnetic resonance imaging.
Subject(s)
Adult , Female , Humans , Brain/diagnostic imaging , Brain Stem/diagnostic imaging , Insecticides/toxicity , Leukoencephalopathies/etiology , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Pyrethrins/toxicity , Spinal Cord/diagnostic imaging , White Matter/diagnostic imagingABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Oriental medicines have been associated with severe psychiatric, neurological, and other adverse medical events. These medicines occasionally cause a typical reversible toxic encephalopathy, but most such cases are not recognized because these adverse events are complex and are associated with other systemic signs and symptoms. CASE REPORT: We describe a married couple with rapid progressive cognitive impairment and akinetic mutism after taking the same oriental medicines on the same day. Brain magnetic resonance images of the couple showed typical leukoencephalopathy in the periventricular white matter and basal ganglia regions, bilaterally. CONCLUSIONS: The development of neurobehavioral symptoms and toxic leukoencephalopathy in both patients following the ingestion of oriental medicines is suggestive of a cause-and-effect association, although such a relationship needs to be verified.