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Potentially life-threatening emergency
Palytoxin poisoning
Other Resources UpToDate PubMed
Potentially life-threatening emergency

Palytoxin poisoning

Contributors: Scott Echternacht MD, Christine Osborne MD, Michael W. Winter MD
Other Resources UpToDate PubMed

Synopsis

Palytoxin (PTX) is a heat-stable aquatic neurotoxin produced by marine red algal dinoflagellates, anemones, corals, and crustaceans. Exposure can be secondary to physical contact or inhalation.

The mechanisms of PTX poisoning include sodium / potassium adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) channel opening effects that prolong depolarization, causing muscle spasms with myofilament damage and release of muscle enzymes.

Patients typically present within 8-16 hours of ingestion or inhalation exposure with a metallic taste in the mouth, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, circumoral and peripheral paresthesias, muscle weakness, seizures, pruritic skin eruptions, chest pain, cough, dyspnea, hypertension, or myoglobinuria.

Codes

ICD10CM:
T65.91XA – Toxic effect of unspecified substance, accidental (unintentional), initial encounter

SNOMEDCT:
275385007 – Biological substance poisoning

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Therapy

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References

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Last Reviewed:04/01/2019
Last Updated:04/01/2019
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Potentially life-threatening emergency
Palytoxin poisoning
A medical illustration showing key findings of Palytoxin poisoning (Ingestion) : Nausea/vomiting, Abdominal cramp, Muscle weakness, Myalgia, Paresthesias, BP increased, Contaminated fish ingestion
Copyright © 2024 VisualDx®. All rights reserved.