AUTHOR=Sheibani Mehdi , Zamani Nasim , Gerami Amir Hushang , Akhondi Hossein , Hassanian-Moghaddam Hossein 

TITLE=Clinical, Laboratory, and Electrocardiographic Findings in Colchicine Toxicity: 10 Years of Experience

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=9

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2022.872528

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2022.872528

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background:</title><p>We aimed to investigate the clinical, laboratory, and electrocardiographic (ECG) findings of colchicine poisoning and to evaluate if there is a correlation between them and the two major outcomes of this toxicity which are respiratory/cardiovascular failure and death.</p></sec><sec><title>Materials and Methods</title><p>Medical records of 34 colchicine-intoxicated patients that were treated in our center during the past 10 years were retrospectively evaluated. The patient's clinical presentation, vital signs, laboratory tests, ECGs, and outcomes were reviewed.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Abdominal pain, and hypotension at presentation had significant correlation with mortality (<italic>p</italic> = 0.003, OR: 2.2 [4.1, 7.9], <italic>p</italic> = 0.029, OR: 13.0 [1.5, 111.8]). Mortality significantly occurred in those with sinus tachycardia, hypokalemia, metabolic acidosis, and impaired liver and kidney function tests (<italic>p</italic>-values = 0.025, 0.007, 0.04, and 0.008, respectively). All the patients had some ECG abnormalities. Most frequent ECG abnormalities were pathologic ST segment elevation and depression (70%), left atrial enlargement (48%), and sinus tachycardia (37%), PR elevation in aVR lead (37%), and T wave inversion (37%).</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusions</title><p>Colchicine toxicity is a dangerous entity regarding the cardiovascular events and requires close general and cardiac monitoring.</p></sec>