title: Death within 44 days of 2,4-dinitrophenol intake.
abstract: We report the case of a 50-year-old obese man (115 kg body mass at 1.77 m height), who started taking 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) for weight reduction 44 days before his death. After 43 days of taking DNP, the man showed signs of intoxication with nausea, vomiting, and attacks of sweating. After admission to a hospital where the man concealed his DNP intake, sinus tachycardia, tachypnea, and general unrest were noted. The patient died 9 h after the onset of those symptoms. Upon autopsy, a yellowing of palms and soles was striking. The initially uncertain cause of death could only be clarified by the forensic toxicological examinations and subsequent police investigations. Finally, the man had a total intake of 12.3 g of DNP in 44 days which is relatively high compared to other lethal DNP intoxications.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Legal Medicine, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany.
authors.forename: Fred
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zack
authors.affiliation: Institute of Legal Medicine, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany.
authors.forename: Verena
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Blaas
authors.affiliation: Clinics for Internal Medicine, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Goos
authors.affiliation: Institute of Legal Medicine, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rentsch
authors.affiliation: Institute of Legal Medicine, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany. andreas.buettner@med.uni-rostock.de.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Büttner
mesh_terms: D019297:2,4-Dinitrophenol / Q000506:poisoning*; D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents / Q000506:poisoning*; D004244:Dizziness / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009325:Nausea / Q000139:chemically induced; D009765:Obesity / Q000188:drug therapy; D010859:Pigmentation Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced; D013616:Tachycardia, Sinus / Q000139:chemically induced; D059246:Tachypnea / Q000139:chemically induced; D014839:Vomiting / Q000139:chemically induced
chemical_list: D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents; D019297:2,4-Dinitrophenol
keywords: 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP); Cause of death; Diet; Intoxication; Tachycardia; Tachypnea