Volume 73 Number 7 November 2006	back to contents

Department of ¹Emergency Medicine, and ²Forensic Medicine, Uludag University Medical School, Gorukle Bursa, Turkey.

Address all correspondence to Mehtap Bulut, M.D., Department of Emergency Medicine, Uludag University Medical School, 16059 Gorukle Bursa, Turkey; e-mail: mbulut94@yahoo.com.

Accepted for publication May 2006.

Abstract

Resorcinol is a pharmaceutical agent used topically in dermatological treatments for acne, eczema, psoriasis and related skin conditions. Although there are a few studies that indicate chronic toxic effects of resorcinol on humans after topical application, information on the effects of resorcinol in acute poisoning after oral ingestion is limited. Thus, we wish to report the clinical and laboratory findings of a patient who was admitted to our emergency department (ED) after inadvertent oral ingestion of resorcinol and later died, as well as the patient’s autopsy findings. The major clinical and laboratory findings were unconsciousness, respiratory failure that required mechanical ventilation, generalized tonic-clonic seizures, leukocytosis and severe metabolic acidosis. In the blood sample taken at the autopsy, a high level of methemoglobin was found. In the serum, resorcinol was revealed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. It can be concluded that the basic approach to patients with resorcinol poisoning should include initial stabilization of the patient by supporting the airway, respiration and circulation, and treating complications such as seizures or metabolic acidosis in the ED, as soon as possible after oral ingestion.

Key Words

Resorcinol, oral ingestion, toxicity, fatal.

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