The 'sweet killer'. Can you recognize the symptoms of ethylene glycol poisoning?

Ingested ethylene glycol is readily absorbed and metabolized into toxic metabolites that can cause CNS depression, cardiopulmonary failure, and renal failure. Thorough history taking, physical examination, and laboratory testing are essential for diagnosis. Careful differential diagnosis is important because symptoms of ethylene glycol poisoning are similar to those of other intoxicants. Early, aggressive treatment with appropriate therapies, such as ethanol therapy, hemodialysis, vitamin cofactors, and antidotal agents, is necessary to prevent permanent disability or death.