Wart remover poisoning Health Article

Advertisement
Marketplace
Licensed from

Definition

Wart removes are medicines used to eliminate warts, small, usually painless growths on the skin caused by a virus. Wart remover poisoning occurs when someone accidentally or intentionally swallows or uses more than the normal or recommended amount of this medication.

Poisonous Ingredient

  • Salicylates
  • Other acids

Where Found

Note: This list may not be all inclusive.

Symptoms

  • Airways and lungs
    • Breathing may stop
    • Rapid breathing
  • Eyes, ears, nose, and throat
    • Eye irritation
    • Loss of vision
    • Ringing in the ears
    • Throat swelling
  • Kidneys
    • Kidney failure
  • Nervous system
  • Skin
  • Stomach and intestines
    • Nausea
    • Vomiting, possibly with blood

Home Treatment

Seek immediate medical help. DO NOT make a person throw up unless told to do so by Poison Control or a health care professional.

Before Calling Emergency

Determine the following information:

  • Patient's age, weight, and condition
  • The name of the product (ingredients and strengths, if known)
  • When it was swallowed
  • The amount swallowed

Poison Control, or a local emergency number

The National Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222) can be called from anywhere in the United States. This national hotline number will let you talk to experts in poisoning. They will give you further instructions.

This is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the United States use this national number. You should call if you have any questions about poisoning or poison prevention. It does NOT need to be an emergency. You can call for any reason, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Take the container with you to the hospital, if possible.

See: Poison control center - emergency number

What to expect at the emergency room

The health care provider will measure and monitor the patient's vital signs, including temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure. Symptoms will be treated as appropriate. If the substance was swallowed, the patient may receive:

  • Activated charcoal
  • Blood tests
  • Fluids by IV
  • Sodium bicarbonate - a medicine (partial antidote) to help neutralize and remove the chemicals (salicylates) from the body
  • Tube placed down the nose and into the stomach

If the poisoning occurred through skin exposure, the patient may receive:

  • Washing (irrigation) of the skin, perhaps every few hours for several days
  • Surgical removal of burned skin (debridement)

Expectations (prognosis)

How well a patient does depends on how much poison enters the blood and how quickly treatment is received. Patients can recover if the effect of the poison can be neutralized.

Reviewer Info: Eric Perez, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.; ADAM Health Illustrated Encyclopedia, 10/29/2007
 
Advertisement
Back to Top