Hair dye poisoning - Walking on a tight rope.

ABSTRACT

Hair dye poisoning which was uncommon is now raising an alarm in the field of toxicology. It leads to acute angioedema causing airway compromise, thus making it life threatening. It also leads to acute renal failure and multi organ damage. Failure in prompt recognition and timely management may lead to death. We report a 24 year old female who was brought to us six hours after consuming hair dye. She had difficulty in breathing and was unable to talk. Her tongue, submandibular region and neck were oedematous. Resuscitation measures were taken and she was intubated with great effort. Appropriate anaphylaxis treatment along with forced alkaline diuresis to prevent renal damage led to the betterment of her condition.