Clinitest ingestion

Abstract

Eight patients who had ingested Clinitest tablets were seen in one hospital over four years. Nineteen reported cases were also reviewed. Clinitest ingestion seems to be more common than was thought. Gastric lesions are common, though the frequency of serious sequelae has been overestimated in reports. Some features of Clinitest ingestion differ from those produced by ingesting other alkalis. These include a higher frequency of adult and accidental ingestion, a lower prevalence of pharyngeal lesions, and oesophageal strictures that tend to be more proximal, shorter, and earlier in onset. The incidence of accidental ingestion by adults would probably be reduced if other methods of testing urine were used in patients who are likely to misunderstand instructions or mistake the tablets for others and if Clinitest tablets could be made in a distinctive size and shape.