An Unusual Case of Reversible Cardiomyopathy Secondary to Paraquat Poisoning

Dr. Guduru Harshendra, Dr. Suman Manchikanti, Dr. K Ravinder Reddy

Abstract: Paraquat is a commonly used herbicide worldwide and is usually one of the main causes of fatal and lethal poisoning worldwide in the developing nations. The most effected organs are lungs and kidneys. However, experimental researches have shown that the heart can also be affected indirectly through increased vascular permeability. Various animal studies have shown that paraquat poisoning causes myocardial contractile dysfunction by decreased fractional shortening and cardiac remodeling.1 We report a first case in published literature of a 30yr old Dravidian women with reversible cardiomyopathy strongly associated with paraquat exposure. It is essential to obtain a detailed medical history and a proper diagnostic workup including work, social and family history, and echocardiography, baseline EKG, lab work and ischemia cardiac testing as it can lead to improved diagnostic evaluation of possible etiologies of commonly seen dilated cardiomyopathies and help identify less well - known etiologies as seen in our patient.

Keywords: Cardiomyopathy, Paraquat, Heart failure