Journal article
Organophosphate Intoxication: Pharmacologic, Neurophysiologic, Clinical, and Therapeutic Considerations
Seminars in neurology, Vol.10(1), pp.46-51
03/1990
DOI: 10.1055/s-2008-1041253
PMID: 2189180
Abstract
The organophosphates are a class of compounds that irreversibly inhibit cholinesterases including acetylcholinesterase (AChE). A knowledge of the organophosphates and their effects on the peripheral and central nervous systems in humans is important, since intoxication with insecticides containing these compounds is a worldwide problem. Their potential use in chemical warfare over the past 50 years continues to be a serious concern. Acute organophosphate intoxication is most commonly the result of suicide attempts and is said to be the most common mode of suicidal poisoning in India. In Europe, it is a regular occurrence as, for example, at the University of Mainz, where approximately ten cases are seen annually, referrals coming from communities immediately surrounding Mainz, West Germany. Organophosphate poisoning, as a result of accidental insecticide exposure, is much less frequent in the United States, and serious examples are only rarely seen. The use of these compounds in suicide attempts in the United States is virtually unknown, in part, because of their relative lack of availability and different cultural patterns. The irreversible inhibition of AChE results in a complex set of physiologic and clinical changes related to excessive amounts of acetylcholine (ACh) at the neuromuscular junction as well as central nervous system cholinergic and peripheral and autonomic nervous system muscarinic synapses. AChE is responsible for the normal degradation of ACh at synapses, essential in their normal functioning.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Organophosphate Intoxication: Pharmacologic, Neurophysiologic, Clinical, and Therapeutic Considerations
- Creators
- Ludwig Gutmann - West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, West VirginiaRoland Besser - University of Mainz, Mainz, Federal Republic of Germany
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Seminars in neurology, Vol.10(1), pp.46-51
- DOI
- 10.1055/s-2008-1041253
- PMID
- 2189180
- ISSN
- 0271-8235
- eISSN
- 1098-9021
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 03/1990
- Academic Unit
- Neurology
- Record Identifier
- 9984014020702771
Metrics
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