The clinico-epidemiological, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of methanol poisoning: A five-year retrospective study, northern Iran.

INTRODUCTION: Methanol poisoning (MP) is a serious health issue that has become more prevalent in recent years and has resulted in numerous deaths. Early detection and timely treatment are critical for preventing fatalities and reducing the incidence of neurological complications. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study was designed as a retrospective investigation with the purpose of analyzing the clinico-epidemiological, diagnostic, and therapeutic aspects of patients who were admitted to two training hospitals in northern Iran due to MP. The selection of samples for this study was based on a pre-defined checklist. Following the completion of the treatment period in the hospital, the patients were categorized into three groups based on their clinical outcome. All relevant variables for each group were recorded and reported separately, using the SciPy library in the Python programming language. RESULTS: The majority of the patients (88.12%) were male (P=0.012), the average age was 41.46, and mostly (82.18%) lived in urban regions (P=0.025). The primary clinical complaint reported was visual disorders, accounting for 75.25% of the cases, followed by nervous, gastrointestinal, respiratory, and chest pain accordingly. The average hospitalization length for the patients was 5.065 days. Out of the 101 patients, 65 (64.36%) were discharged without any complications, 17 (16.83%) were discharged with complications, and unfortunately, 19 (18.81%) were died. CONCLUSION: A decreased level of consciousness and severe metabolic acidosis are commonly associated with unfavorable outcomes in MP. The use of systemic corticosteroids as a treatment method has a significant association with reducing mortality rates.

Clinical manifestations and treatment management of hospitalized patients with zinc phosphide poisoning, Mazandaran Province, Northern Iran.

BACKGROUND: Zinc phosphide (ZnP) is a dark gray crystalline compound used as a rodenticide against rodents such as mice. ZnP poisoning may be accidental or suicidal. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical manifestations and treatment management of hospitalized patients with ZnP poisoning in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. METHODS: Between 2013 and 2017, a cross-sectional study was performed on hospitalized patients with ZnP poisoning who were referred to two training hospitals in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. RESULTS: A total of 127 patients participated in this trial, including 71 (55.9%) men and 56 (44.1%) women. The patients' average (standard deviation) age was 25.5 (±16.82) years, and it took 2.18 (±2.23) hours to refer them to the hospital. There were 42 (33%) cases with less than one package, 9 (7%) cases with several packages, and 76 (60%) cases with no particular usage. CONCLUSIONS: This study has shown that ZnP poisoning may be asymptomatic initially or with mild clinical symptoms that may gradually worsen. Therefore, hospitalization and obtaining a history and a careful physical examination should be considered.

One-Month Follow-Up of Patients with Unspecified Abdominal Pain Referring to the Emergency Department; a Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: About one third of patients referring to emergency department (ED) with abdominal pain, are discharged without a definite diagnosis. This study aimed to investigate the one-month outcome of patients with unspecified abdominal pain. METHODS: This cohort study was conducted on subjects who were evaluated in ED with unspecified abdominal pain and were referred to the gastroenterology clinic and followed for one month. Finally, they were divided into two groups of cases with clear cause of abdominal pain and unclear cause of abdominal pain and patients' characteristics were compared between the groups. RESULTS: 150 cases with the mean age of 40.68 ± 18.34 years were studied (53.3% female). After one month, 67 (44.7%) patients still complained of abdominal pain. A definitive cause of abdominal pain was established in 88 (58.7%) cases. There was not any significant difference between groups regarding, sex distribution (p = 012), duration of pain (p = 0.11), history of previous similar pain (p = 0.136), pain radiation (p = 0.737), length of hospital stay (p = 0.51), and presence of anorexia (p = 0.09), nausea and vomiting (p= 0.50), fever (p = 1.0), diarrhea (p = 0.23), and constipation (p = 0.07). There was a significant difference between the groups regarding location of pain (p = 0.017), age (p = 0.001) and history of comorbid diseases (p = 0.046). The predictive factors of finding a clear cause for abdominal pain in one-month follow-up, were leukocytosis (OR: 5.92 (95% CI: 2.62 - 13.39); p < 0.001), age (OR: 2.78 (95% CI: 1.15 - 6.71); p = 0.023), and outpatient follow-up (OR: 1.04 (95% CI: 1.02 - 1.07); p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Approximately, 40% of patients who were discharged with unspecified abdominal pain did not receive a clear diagnosis after one month of follow-up. Older age, leucocytosis in initial evaluations, and outpatient follow-up increased the probability of finding a clear cause for abdominal pain in the mentioned cases.