[Colchicine poisoning: a case report]

Abstract

Colchicine is a drug commonly used for treatment of acute and chronic gout. Poisoning is a rare but always serious event. The purpose of this report is to describe the case of a 16-year-old girl who ingested an unknown amount of colchicine in a suicide attempt. At the time of admission she presented with gastrointestinal manifestations and reduced consciousness. After ten days in the intensive care unit she died due to multiple organ failure. This case provides the opportunity not only to review the clinical course and prognostic factors associated with colchicine poisoning but also to underline the difficulty of its management due to the absence of a specific antidote and of emergency pharmacologic doses.