Acute Kidney Injury Following Naphthalene (Mothball) Poisoning

Naphthalene is a widely available moth repellant in the Asian subcontinent. Toxicity can occur either accidentally or intentionally as a suicide attempt. An overdose can lead to a variety of clinical symptoms, including intravascular hemolysis, and can sometimes lead to life-threatening clinical sit...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Piyush Mathur, Shalini Garg
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2023-01-01
Series:Saudi Journal of Kidney Diseases and Transplantation
Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/1319-2442.394000
Description
Summary:Naphthalene is a widely available moth repellant in the Asian subcontinent. Toxicity can occur either accidentally or intentionally as a suicide attempt. An overdose can lead to a variety of clinical symptoms, including intravascular hemolysis, and can sometimes lead to life-threatening clinical situations. A young male was admitted to our center with an alleged history of ingesting an unknown quantity of naphthalene balls (mothballs). He developed methemoglobinemia, intra-vascular hemolysis, anuria, and acute kidney injury (AKI), followed by cardiorespiratory arrest. He was treated successfully with intravenous methylene blue and dialysis. Naphthalene toxicity can lead to methemoglobinemia and intravascular hemolysis. This can result in AKI caused by pigment nephropathy.
ISSN:1319-2442
2320-3838