[Clinical picture and treatment of acute thallium poisoning]

The authors report results of treatment of 16 patients whose disease was caused by premeditated poisoning with thallium fluoride. The first signs of the disease appeared in 5 patients 30-38 hours and in the remaining 2-4 days after ingestion of poisoned food and were manifested by dyspepsia, leg pain. Then neurological symptoms of polyneuritis and encephalomyelitis prevailed. Within 1-3 weeks alopecia, xeroderma, herpetic phenomena appeared. Most patients showed disorders of the psycho-emotional sphere (intoxication encephalopathies of anxiety-paranoia type). Severe grades of thallitoxicosis were marked by involvement of the myocardium, liver and kidneys. Excretion of the nucleus is slow: with the urine (45%), with feces (55%). For correct diagnosis and for solution medical forensic problems examination of the content of thallium in the blood, urine, feces and hair is of importance. Treatment tactics are described in detail.