Salicylate intoxication (developing with the use of ASA in a dose of more than 100 mg / kg / day for more than 2 days) may result from prolonged use of toxic doses of the drug (chronic intoxication) or a single dose of a toxic dose of the drug (acute intoxication).
Treatment of intoxication depends on the severity of intoxication and should be aimed at accelerating the elimination of the drug and restoring the water-electrolyte balance and the acid-base state.
Symptoms of an overdose from mild to moderate severity;
Dizziness, noise in the ears, hearing impairment, increased sweating, nausea, vomiting, headache, confusion, tachypnea, hyperventilation, respiratory alkalosis.
Treatment: gastric lavage, repeated intake of activated charcoal, forced alkaline diuresis, restoration of water-electrolyte balance and acid-base state.
Symptoms of an overdose from medium to severe:
- respiratory alkalosis with compensatory metabolic acidosis;
- hyperpyrexia (extremely high body temperature);
- breathing disorders: hyperventilation, non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema, respiratory depression, asphyxia;
- heart rhythm disorder, arterial hypotension, oppression of cardiac activity;
- disturbances of water-electrolyte balance: dehydration, disturbance of kidney function from oliguria up to development of renal failure, characterized by hypokalemia, hypernatremia, hyponatremia;
- impaired glucose metabolism: hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia (especially in children), ketoacidosis;
- noise in the ears, deafness;
- gastrointestinal bleeding;
- Hematologic disorders: from inhibition of platelet aggregation to coagulopathy, prolongation of prothrombin time, hypoprothrombinemia;
- neurological disorders: toxic encephalopathy, oppression of function central nervous system (drowsiness, confusion, coma, convulsions).
Treatment: immediate admission to specialized departments for emergency therapy - gastric lavage, repeated intake of activated charcoal, forced alkaline diuresis,hemodialysis, restoration of water-electrolyte balance and acid-base state, symptomatic therapy.