Poisoning with iodine

Description:

The traditional antiseptic agent tincture of iodine is the spirit solution containing 2% of iodine and 2% of iodide sodium. The strong raskhvor of iodine (Lugol solution) is the aqueous solution containing 5% of iodine and 10% of iodide potassium. The lethal dose of tincture of iodine is equal to about 2 g. Salts of monohydroiodide acid are much less toxic, poisonings with these connections do not lead to death of the victim.

Symptoms of poisoning with iodine:

Poisoning with iodine can be suspected on the basis of dark brown coloring of mucous membranes of an oral cavity. Symptoms of poisoning are result mainly of the corroding action of compounds of iodine on a digestive tract. Soon after hit poison thermalgias in a stomach, nausea, vomiting and a bloody diarrhea develop in an organism. If the stomach contains starch, then emetic masses will be painted in blue or black color. An injury of fabrics at the corroding gastroenteritis and loss of liquid at vomiting and a diarrhea can lead to development of shock. Also often observed heavy hypostasis of a glottis, fever, a delirium, a stupor and an anury.

Treatment of poisoning with iodine:

The victim should give immediately milk, the starch replacing body tissues, bread etc. or absorbent carbon for providing substrate with which iodine can react. Sodium thiosulphate reduces toxic effect of iodine, transferring it to less toxic salt of monohydroiodide acid; orally it is necessary to enter 100 ml of 5% of solution then it is necessary to give to the patient an osmotic purgative. In each 4 h intravenously it is necessary to enter 10 ml of 10% of solution of thiosulphate. In case of suspicion on injury of a gullet it is not necessary to wash out a stomach or to cause vomiting in the patient. At the corresponding treatment most of the patients who got poisoned with iodine survive, but their absolute recovery is complicated by development of strictures of a gullet.