Investigation Paraquat Poisoning in Southwest of Iran – from Sign to Mortality and Morbidity

Introduction: Paraquat is the most important herbicide of bi-prides class which is used widely in agriculture part but in many countries such as Iran, this herbicide use for suicide.

This study was conducted with the aim to investigating Paraquat poisoning in Khuzestan province of Iran.

Material and methods: This study is a retrospective and statistic investigation in which 159 files of toxicity cases were investigated during 2004 to 2015. The patients were contacted to inquire into their health, after completing a questionnaire, the data was gathered and analyzed using SPSS software.

Result: Of 159 patients studied for paraquate poisoning, 65 patients (40.9%) were female and 94 patients (59.1%) were male and 138 cases (86.8%) of patients were 15–29 years and 150 patients (66%) were single. rate of poisoning due to suicide was 96.9%. First signs in this patients was Nausea and Vomiting, Mouth and throat ulcers, Mouth and throat erythema and Mouth and throat Irritation. 113 patients (71.1%) were treated by specialized medicines without antibiotics. 73 patients (45.9%) developed acidosis during hospitalization, and 13 patients (8.2%) experienced alkalosis. Sixty-three cases (39.6%) died.

Conclusions: The current study showed that paraquet is one of the deadliest poisons in Khozestan province which is used frequently for suicide. Considering the high importance of this substance in agriculture, it cannot be replaced by other toxins. Furthermore, this study showed that drug therapy has not continued after discharge of survived patients.