Ka. Ammar et Ps. Heckerling, ETHYLENE-GLYCOL POISONING WITH A NORMAL ANION GAP CAUSED BY CONCURRENT ETHANOL INGESTION - IMPORTANCE OF THE OSMOLAL GAP, American journal of kidney diseases, 27(1), 1996, pp. 130-133
Ethylene glycol poisoning classically presents as a metabolic acidosis
with an increased anion gap, Metabolism of ethylene glycol to organic
acids, and increased production of lactate, are responsible for the i
ncreased gap, We report the case of an alcohol user who consumed ethan
ol and ethylene glycol concurrently, and presented without acidosis, w
ith a normal anion gap, Several hours later, when his serum ethanol le
vel had declined, he developed severe acidosis with an elevated anion
gap, An increased osmolal gap, not accounted for by the serum ethanol
level, proved to be an important due to the diagnosis, In this patient
, ingestion of ethanol inhibited the hepatic metabolism of ethylene gl
ycol to organic acids, obscuring the diagnosis, In intoxicated alcohol
users, even in the absence of metabolic acidosis, serum osmolality me
asurements and calculation of the osmolal gap may facilitate the rapid
diagnosis of ethylene glycol poisoning. (C) 1996 by the National Kidn
ey Foundation, Inc.