Citation

Namazi S, Niknahad H, Razmkhah H. J. Med. Toxicol. 2009; 5(4): 191-195.

Affiliation

Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

19876850

Abstract

Introduction: Sulphur mustard (SM) is an alkylating chemical warfare agent that was widely used during the Iran-Iraq conflict(1980-1988). Delayed complications of SM in different organs were evaluated in this study. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed from March 2005 to June 2006. The Veterans Foundation provided us with the files of all chemical warfare-poisoned patients in the province of Fars, Iran. Clinical manifestations, laboratory data, and demographic characteristics of the patients were recorded from their files and a face-to-face interviews. Data analysis was performed by student t test statistical method. Results: A total of 134 patients were enrolled in the study. The age range of the patients was 32-45 (37.2 +/- 9) years. SM poisoning was confirmed 19.5 +/- 1.6 (17-22) years after initial exposure. The duration of exposure in patients was 13.35 +/- 8.7 (1.5-48) hours. The most common complication was found in the lungs (100%), skin (82.84%), and eyes (77.61%). The most frequent medications used for the treatment of these complications were: bronchodilators, drugs used for dermatological problems, and drugs used for ocular complications. Analytical study showed no association between the age of exposed patients and the severity of toxic complications (p > .05), but there was a significant association between the duration of exposure and the number of complications (p < .05). Conclusion: Results of this study indicate that respiratory complications generally increase over time. Therefore, follow-up of veterans exposed to SM is recommended. This may lead to early diagnosis of SM complications and help prevent the late manifestations of this toxicity.

Language: en