A CASE OF ACUTE IRON POISONING IN AN ADULT PRESENTING AS FULMINANT HEPATIC FAILURE

Fulminant hepatic failure (or acute liver failure) is defined as the rapid development of hepatocellular dysfunction, specifically coagulopathy and mental status changes (encephalopathy) in a patient without known prior liver disease 1 Acute liver failure is a medical emergency associated with a high mortality rate because of the development of cerebral edema, infectious complications, and multiorgan failure. Despite advances in medical management, mortality rates in patients with acute liver failure remain high in the absence of emergency liver transplantation. The predominant cause of acute liver failure differs markedly throughout the world. In the United States and other western countries, medications, including acetaminophen and idiosyncratic drug toxicity are the most commonly identified causes of acute liver failure. In France, Japan, and India, severe acute HBV infection is a leading cause of acute liver failure. 2 This clinical report summarizes the management of acute fulminant hepatic failure due to acute iron toxicity secondary to suicidal ingestion of ferrous sulphate tablets.