Ethylene Glycol Poisoning

Ethylene Glycol Poisoning is a topic covered in the 5-Minute Emergency Consult.

To view the entire topic, please or .

Emergency Central is a collection of disease, drug, and test information including 5-Minute Emergency Medicine Consult, Davis’s Drug, McGraw-Hill Medical’s Diagnosaurus®, Pocket Guide to Diagnostic Tests, and MEDLINE Journals created for emergency medicine professionals. Explore these free sample topics:

-- The first section of this topic is shown below --

Basics

Description

  • Peak serum concentration in 1–4 hr
  • Half-life, 2.5–4.5 hr
  • <20% excreted unmetabolized by kidneys
  • Pathophysiology:
    • Metabolized by hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase ultimately to oxalic acid
    • Results in aldehyde and acid metabolites
    • Directly toxic to kidney
    • Ethylene glycol metabolism:
      • Step 1 Ethylene glycol is converted by alcohol dehydrogenase to glycoaldehyde
      • Step 2 Glycoaldehyde is converted by aldehyde dehydrogenase to glycolic acid
      • Step 3 Glycolic acid is converted by lactate dehydrogenase to glyoxylic acid
      • Step 4 Glyoxylic acid is converted to oxalic acid

Etiology

  • Ethylene-glycol–containing products:
    • Antifreeze
    • Solvents
  • Min reported lethal dose is 30 mL of 100% ethylene glycol

-- To view the remaining sections of this topic, please or --

Basics

Description

  • Peak serum concentration in 1–4 hr
  • Half-life, 2.5–4.5 hr
  • <20% excreted unmetabolized by kidneys
  • Pathophysiology:
    • Metabolized by hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase ultimately to oxalic acid
    • Results in aldehyde and acid metabolites
    • Directly toxic to kidney
    • Ethylene glycol metabolism:
      • Step 1 Ethylene glycol is converted by alcohol dehydrogenase to glycoaldehyde
      • Step 2 Glycoaldehyde is converted by aldehyde dehydrogenase to glycolic acid
      • Step 3 Glycolic acid is converted by lactate dehydrogenase to glyoxylic acid
      • Step 4 Glyoxylic acid is converted to oxalic acid

Etiology

  • Ethylene-glycol–containing products:
    • Antifreeze
    • Solvents
  • Min reported lethal dose is 30 mL of 100% ethylene glycol

There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.