PARAPHENYLENEDIAMINE POISONING : A CASE REPORT AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Paraphenylenediamine (PPD) intoxication is a medical emergency with a very poor prognosis in the absence of early and adequate treatment. Its pathophysiological mechanism is now known and results from the destruction of muscle cells by peroxidation phenomena leading to major rhabdomyolysis. The diagnosis is essentially clinical, guided by a rapid history. As there is no specific antidote, treatment is mainly symptomatic and aims at securing the VAS, reducing intestinal absorption of the toxicant, as well as managing cervico-facial oedema and complications of rhabdomyolysis. In hospital, treatment includes gastric lavage, activated charcoal, filling with alkalinisation, antioxidant treatments, corticosteroids, diuretics and even dialysis. In order to shed light on the danger of this practice, the authors have taken the liberty of reporting the clinical case of PPD intoxication in a young woman admitted to the maternity ward of the Harouchi Hospital in Casablanca.