Haematological Tests - Analytical Toxicology

 HAEMATOLOGICAL TESTS

·              Blood Clotting: Prothrombin time and other bloodclotting parameters are likely to be abnormal in acute poisoning with hepatotoxic agents, rodenticides containinganticoagulants, as well as in certain types of snake bite, (especially viper).

·      Haematocrit: Acute overdose involving iron salts,NSAIDs, and salicylates can cause gastrointestinal bleeding leading to anaemia. Anaemia may also result from chronic exposure to heavy metals such as arsenic and lead. A less common (indirect) cause is glucose-6-phosphate dehy-drogenase deficiency when any of the following drugshave been administered : chloramphenicol, chloroquine, nitrofurantoin, primaquine, etc.

·              Leucocyte Count: Leucocytosis is a recognised featureof acute metabolic acidosis resulting from ingestion of poisons such as ethylene glycol and methanol. It is also seen as a secondary feature of hypostatic pneumonia following prolonged coma.

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