Salicylism

Aspirin poisoning
A skeletal structural formula for aspirin.
Classification and external resources
Specialty	emergency medicine
ICD-10	T39.0
ICD-9-CM	965.1
MedlinePlus	002542
eMedicine	emerg/514
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Aspirin poisoning or salicylism is acute or chronic poisoning with aspirin or other salicylates. A single overdose may cause acute poisoning. Continuous usage of an elevated dosage over long periods of time may cause chronic poisoning.

Acute overdose has a mortality rate of 2%. Chronic overdose is more commonly lethal with a mortality rate as high as 25%. Chronic overdose may be especially severe in children. No antidotes currently exist for aspirin poisoning.

Signs and symptoms may range from mild nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, lethargy, tinnitus, and dizziness to severe such as seizure or cerebral edema depending on the dose consumed.

Toxicity is managed with a number of potential treatments including: activated charcoal, intravenous dextrose and normal saline, sodium bicarbonate, and dialysis.

Aspirin overdose has potentially serious consequences, sometimes leading to significant morbidity and death. Patients with mild intoxication frequently have nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, lethargy, ringing in the ears, and dizziness. More significant signs and symptoms occur in more severe poisonings and include high body temperature, fast breathing rate, respiratory alkalosis, metabolic acidosis, low blood potassium, low blood glucose, hallucinations, confusion, seizure, cerebral edema, and coma. The most common cause of death following an aspirin overdose is cardiopulmonary arrest usually due to pulmonary edema.

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