title: Assessment of 17 Pediatric Cases With Colchicine Poisoning in a 2-Year Period.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study is to discuss clinical effects, treatments, and outcomes of pediatric colchicine poisoning.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was designed as an observational case series study. The medical records of children aged between 0 and 18 years, who were hospitalized for colchicine poisoning at the Department of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Cumhuriyet University Faculty of Medicine, between January 2010 and January 2012, were retrospectively evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We presented 17 children with colchicine poisoning. The mean (SD, range) age of patients was 71.5 (69.19, 18-204) months. The period to apply to the hospital after taking the medications was 7.3 hours (7.97, 30 minutes-26 hours) on average. The use of colchicine was due to diagnosis of Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) in the families of 8 patients, diagnosis of Behçet disease in 1 patient's father, diagnosis of Behçet disease in 1 patient herself, and diagnosis of FMF in 6 patients themselves. Thirteen patients had taken colchicine at the dose of less than 0.5 mg/kg known as subtoxic and 1 patient had taken colchicine at the dose of greater than 0.8 mg/kg, and doses taken by 3 patients were not known. Fourteen patients (82.4%) had involuntary drug intake. Fifty percent of them were symptomatic at the moment of application and all had gastrointestinal complaints. All patients were observed in intensive care unit upon first admission and received supportive care. One of patients showed total alopecia, one showed leucocytosis, and another one showed acute abdomen picture. None of the patients showed mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mortality of colchicine toxicity is high and quick assessment is absolutely required. In regions where FMF is common and the use of colchicine is high, clinicians should pay attention to symptoms and findings related to colchicine intoxication and keep them in mind in differential diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: From the Departments of *Pediatric Nephrology, †Pediatric Hematology, ‡Pediatrics, and §Pediatric Cardiology, Cumhuriyet University Faculty of Medicine, Sivas, Turkey.
authors.forename: Demet
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Alaygut
authors.forename: Suar Caki
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kilic
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: Mehmet Burhan
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Oflaz
authors.forename: Fatih
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bolat
authors.forename: Ömer
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Cevit
authors.forename: Fusun Dilara
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Icagasioglu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003078:Colchicine / Q000506:poisoning*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D010505:Familial Mediterranean Fever / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D003078:Colchicine