The effectiveness of combined treatment with methylprednisolone and cyclophosphamide in oral paraquat poisoning.

BACKGROUND Paraquat is a bipyridil herbicide and in appropriate and careful usage, will not be health threatening. Most adult cases of intoxication are due to suicidal attempts rather than accidental exposure. Therapeutic response has been reported to be appropriate with high doses of cyclophosphamide and glucocorticoids and survival is reported to be approximately 75%. So, this study was designed to evaluate the effects of combined treatment with cyclophosphamide and glucocorticoids in patients with paraquat poisoning. METHODS During a two-year period 45 patients with paraquat poisoning were admitted to Sina Hospital, Hamadan, Iran, of whom 20 had moderate to severe intoxication. Eleven patients (group 1) received conventional treatment and nine patients (group 2) received conventional treatment plus intravenous infusions of cyclophosphamide 15 mg/kg daily for two days, methylprednisolone one gram daily for three days, and mesna 15 mg/kg for four days. RESULTS The mean age+/-SD in group 1 was 25+/-10 years and in group 2 was 26+/-10 years. In group 1 three patients were females and eight patients were males. In group 2 one patient was female and eight patients were males. There were no differences between the groups in the time elapsed from ingestion to presentation at hospital or in the beginning of hemodialysis. The mortality rate in group 1 was 81.8% and in group 2 was 33.3% (P< 0.05). All fatalities caused by acute respiratory distress syndrome. CONCLUSION Pulse therapy with cyclophosphamide and methylprednisolone may be effective in preventing respiratory failure and reducing mortality in patients with moderate to severe paraquat poisoning.