Clinical and laboratory aspects of kerosene poisoning

ABSTRACT

Twenty seven patients intoxicated with kerosene and received in the Foison Control Centre, Ain Shams University, were studied. They were 16 males and 11 females. Their ages ranged between, 1-3 years, except one case was 17 years old. The mode of intoxication was accidental in most of the eases. The majority of the intoxicated patients were of the low social class and they consulted the Poison Control Centre mostly in the evening after 1-2 hours of intoxication Kerosene intoxicated children had significantly lower hemoglobin values than controls. The anemia was microcytic hypochromic. Leucocytosis was observed with significant elevation of the absolute numbers of all granular and mono-nuclear white cells and bands. Three patients presented with respiratory acidosis. All urine samples were negative for urobilinogen. Radiological evidence of pneumonia varied with the severity of the clinical manifestation and were limited to the dependent portions of the lungs