Quinine toxicity
From IDWiki
Background
- Quinine was originally an extract from the cinchona tree
- Historically used to treat fevers and diarrhea, and eventually malaria
- May be consumed recreationally in the form of tonic water
Pathophysiology
- It acts as a class qA antiarrhythmic, blocking both sodium and potassium, leading to long QRS and QT intervals
- Toxic to the retina
Clinical Manifestations
- Cinchonism: nausea, vomiting, and tinnitus
- Sweating, nausea, visual disturbances (particularly colour vision), cardiac arrhythmias
- Eventually can lead to blindness (delayed), coma, and death
