Presentation
Both men presented in first-degree atrioventricular block and had digoxin levels of 4.9 μg/litre, but were otherwise stable and made unremarkable recoveries with repeated dose activated charcoal. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Thus, an elderly patient taking digoxin who presents with mental status changes should be evaluated for toxicity. Table 193–1 Clinical Presentation of Digitalis Glycoside ... [accessmedicine.mhmedical.com]
Gastrointestinal
- Vomiting
Digitalis overdose usually begins with gastrointestinal symptoms, such as anorexia, nausea, and vomiting, followed by sensory symptoms, such as pain and visual disturbances (Table 3).… therapeutics: The cardiovascular system Digitalis, derived from the [britannica.com]
Causing vomiting. Other conditions. More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of foxglove for these uses. Foxglove contains chemicals from which the prescription medication digoxin (Lanoxin) is made. [emedicinehealth.com]
A previously well woman aged 63 years presents to the emergency department with vomiting, palpitations and 3 presyncopal episodes. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Methods to cause vomiting are usually not done because vomiting can worsen slow heart rhythms. In severe cases, medicines called digoxin-specific antibodies may be prescribed. Dialysis may be needed to reduce the level of digitalis in the body. [pennstatehershey.adam.com]
Symptoms of Digitalis poisoning include a low pulse rate, nausea, vomiting, and uncoordinated contractions of different parts of the heart, leading to cardiac arrest and finally death. [en.wikipedia.org]
- Nausea
If you are given too much digoxin you may lose your appetite or develop nausea (feeling sick), headache or blurred / coloured vision. [heartfailurematters.org]
Symptoms of Digitalis poisoning include a low pulse rate, nausea, vomiting, and uncoordinated contractions of different parts of the heart, leading to cardiac arrest and finally death. [en.wikipedia.org]
Signs of toxicity include nausea, vomiting, and an irregular heartbeat. To prevent DT, monitor your intake of digitalis to make sure you’re not taking too much of the medication. [healthline.com]
Mountains, Piedmont, Coastal Plain Family: Scrophulariaceae Origin: Europe Poison Part: Leaves, flowers, seeds; overdoses of the drug digitalis Poison Delivery Mode: Ingestion, confusion with Symphytum (comphrey) and brewed into a toxic tea Symptoms: Nausea [plants.ces.ncsu.edu]
On the admission, initial symptoms were nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, and cardiovascular shock with sinus bradycardia. Blood and urine were assayed for 17 cardiotonic hetorosides, using a highly specific LC-MS procedure. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Cardiovascular
- Tachycardia
atrial tachycardia with block, and multifocal tachycardia were observed. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
QRS complex morphology is again similar to that of QRS complex prior to ventricular tachycardia. [revespcardiol.org]
Bidirectional ventricular tachycardia Bidirectional ventricular tachycardia is particularly characteristic of severe digitalis toxicity and results from alterations in intraventricular conduction, junctional tachycardia with aberrant intraventricular [emedicine.com]
These dysrhythmias include the following: Tachydysrhythmia, such as atrial tachycardia with block Junctional tachycardia Paroxysmal atrial tachycardia with block Bidirectional ventricular tachycardia More than a single dysrhythmia may be present. [emedicine.medscape.com]
- Slow Pulse
pulse, tremors, unusual color visions, convulsions Toxic Principle: Cardiac or steroid glycosides Severity: HIGHLY TOXIC, MAY BE FATAL IF EATEN! [plants.ces.ncsu.edu]
According to Withering, "the Foxglove, when given in large and quickly-repeated doses, occasions sickness, vomiting, purging, giddiness, confused vision, objects appearing green or yellow; increased secretion of urine...slow pulse, even as slow as 35 [aaas.org]
Signs of foxglove poisoning include stomach upset, small eye pupils, blurred vision, strong slow pulse, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, excessive urination, fatigue, muscle weakness and tremors, stupor, confusion, convulsions, abnormal heartbeats, and death [emedicinehealth.com]
Depending on the severity of the toxicosis the victim may later suffer irregular and slow pulse, tremors, various cerebral disturbances, especially of a visual nature (unusual color visions with objects appearing yellowish to green, and blue halos around [chemeurope.com]
Eyes
- Blurred Vision
Signs of foxglove poisoning include stomach upset, small eye pupils, blurred vision, strong slow pulse, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, excessive urination, fatigue, muscle weakness and tremors, stupor, confusion, convulsions, abnormal heartbeats, and death [emedicinehealth.com]
Inform your doctor if you develop: confusion, visual disturbances ( blurred vision or yellow/green halos around objects), fast/slow/irregular heartbeat, skin rash, breast enlargement, severe stomach upset. [medicinenet.com]
Symptoms These are symptoms of digitalis toxicity: Confusion Irregular pulse Loss of appetite Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea Fast heartbeat Vision changes (unusual), including blind spots, blurred vision, changes in how colors look, or seeing spots Other [pennstatehershey.adam.com]
VISUAL changes halos blurred vision amblyopia Yellow vision scotoma diplopia 16. [slideshare.net]
- Diplopia
VISUAL changes halos blurred vision amblyopia Yellow vision scotoma diplopia 16. [slideshare.net]
Musculoskeletal
- Muscle Weakness
Signs of foxglove poisoning include stomach upset, small eye pupils, blurred vision, strong slow pulse, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, excessive urination, fatigue, muscle weakness and tremors, stupor, confusion, convulsions, abnormal heartbeats, and death [emedicinehealth.com]
CNS headache Malaise confusion muscle weakness delirium drowsiness parasthesia hallucination 15. VISUAL changes halos blurred vision amblyopia Yellow vision scotoma diplopia 16. [slideshare.net]
Psychiatrical
- Psychiatric Manifestation
Psychiatric manifestations, from calm disorientation to violent psychosis, tend to occur more often in elderly patients and may be the earliest or only sign of digitalis toxicity. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Neurologic
- Confusion
Borage, during the non-flowering seasons, can be easily confused with foxglove (Digitalis spp.), and this was the main clue to suspect poisoning. Both patients were given DigiFab®, a sheep antibody fragment with high affinity for digoxin. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Not to be confused with: common comfrey (Symphytum officinale). Comfrey could be mistaken for foxglove when not in flower, as the leaves are similar. [woodlandtrust.org.uk]
CNS headache Malaise confusion muscle weakness delirium drowsiness parasthesia hallucination 15. VISUAL changes halos blurred vision amblyopia Yellow vision scotoma diplopia 16. [slideshare.net]
[…] late summer Exposure: Partial shade Soil: Moist, well-drained soil Regions: Mountains, Piedmont, Coastal Plain Family: Scrophulariaceae Origin: Europe Poison Part: Leaves, flowers, seeds; overdoses of the drug digitalis Poison Delivery Mode: Ingestion, confusion [plants.ces.ncsu.edu]
Acute poisoning presents with the common initial manifestations of nausea and vomiting, cardiovascular manifestations (bradycardia, heart block and a variety of dysrhythmias), central nervous system manifestations (lethargy, confusion and weakness) and [orpha.net]
- Cognitive Impairment
This finding was confirmed after correction for dose of digitalis, age, physical and cognitive impairment, atrial fibrillation, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, glomerular filtration rate, and use of amiodarone, beta-blockers, nondihydropyridine [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Workup
(See Presentation and Workup .) During the early 20th century, as a result of the work of Cushny, Mackenzie, Lewis, and others, the drug was gradually recognized as specific for treatment of atrial fibrillation. [emedicine.com]
(See Presentation and Workup.) During the early 20th century, as a result of the work of Cushny, Mackenzie, Lewis, and others, the drug was gradually recognized as specific for treatment of atrial fibrillation. [emedicine.medscape.com]
Rhythm
- Atrioventricular Dissociation
After ROSC was achieved, the electrocardiogram (ECG) showed an idio-ventricular rhythm with atrioventricular dissociation. A transcutaneous pacing was hence applied and the patient was administered with isoproterenol. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Treatment
It is suggested that patients with PMD may respond to symptomatic treatment modulating nerve conduction. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
There are also reports of digitalis extract finding some use in the treatment of dropsy. The purple foxglove, digitalis purpurea. [bris.ac.uk]
Prognosis
Outlook (Prognosis) How well a person does depends on the severity of the toxicity and if it has caused an irregular heart rhythm. [pennstatehershey.adam.com]
It has an ominous prognosis due to possible degeneration to ventricular fibrillation and sudden death. [revespcardiol.org]
One study suggests that adolescents are more susceptible to digoxin on a mg/kg basis. [18] Prognosis Prognosis in digitalis toxicity worsens with increasing age and associated comorbid conditions. [emedicine.com]
Age-related differences in incidence AAPCC data from 2015 show the following age breakdowns for plant cardiac glycoside exposure [4] : Infants and children younger than 6 years - 57% Children aged 6-19 years - 18% Adults older than 19 years - 22% Prognosis [emedicine.medscape.com]
Etiology
The case can be confirmed if laboratory testing was not performed because either a predominant amount of clinical and nonspecific laboratory evidence of a particular chemical was present or the etiology of the agent is known with 100% certainty. [emergency.cdc.gov]
(See Etiology and Epidemiology .) Cardiac glycosides are found in certain flowering plants, such as oleander and lily-of-the-valley. [emedicine.com]
Etiology Exposure to plants containing glycosides can occur through ingestion of sap, berries, leaves, blossoms, or seeds, or of teas brewed from plant parts. Plant extracts also have been intentionally injected. [emedicine.medscape.com]
Epidemiology
We performed this systematic review of available epidemiological studies to clarify the association between digitalis use and the risk of breast cancer. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Probable: A clinically compatible case in which a high index of suspicion (credible threat or patient history regarding location and time) exists for digitalis exposure, or an epidemiologic link exists between this case and a laboratory-confirmed case [emergency.cdc.gov]
(See Etiology and Epidemiology .) Cardiac glycosides are found in certain flowering plants, such as oleander and lily-of-the-valley. [emedicine.com]
Digitalis purpurea ) Woolly foxglove ( Digitalis lanata ) Ouabain ( Strophanthus gratus ) Lily-of-the-valley ( Convallaria majalis ) Common oleander ( Nerium oleander ) Yellow oleander ( Thevetia peruviana ) Squill or sea onion ( Urginea maritima ) Epidemiology [emedicine.medscape.com]
Pathophysiology
This Review focuses on the role of endogenous cardiotonic steroids in the pathophysiology of essential hypertension, congestive heart failure, end-stage renal disease and pre-eclampsia. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
The Holter/signal averaging electrocardiogram substudy examined the pathophysiology of sudden cardiac death. [clinicaltrials.gov]
The pathophysiology that produces cardiotoxicity involves prolonging refractory period in atrioventricular (AV) node, shortening refractory periods in atria and ventricles, and decreasing resting membrane potential (increased excitability). [emedicine.medscape.com]
Congestive Heart Failure: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and Comprehensive Approach to Therapy. Baltimore, Md: Williams & Wilkins. In press.Google Scholar 15 Cheng JWM, Charland SL, Shaw LM, Kobrin S, Goldfarb S, Stanek EJ, Spinler SA. [ahajournals.org]
Prevention
In addition, some recommendations for prevention and management of this problem are discussed. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
preventative fungicide spray program using products such as Decree (SePRO) and Daconil (Syngenta). [gpnmag.com]
Your doctor might also recommend that you take potassium or magnesium supplements to prevent your levels of those minerals from dropping too low. [healthline.com]