Details:

Corporate Authors:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
Description:
Distributed via the CDC Health Alert Network

September 16, 2018 1345 ET (1:45 PM ET)

CDCHAN-00415

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reminding clinicians seeing patients from the areas affected by Hurricane Florence to maintain a high index of suspicion for CO poisoning. Other people who may be exposed to the same CO source may need to be identified and assessed.

The signs and symptoms of CO exposure are variable and nonspecific. A tension-type headache is the most common symptom of mild CO poisoning. Other symptoms may include dizziness, flu-like symptoms (e.g., weakness, nausea, vomiting, fatigue) without a fever, drowsiness, chest pain, and altered mental status.

Clinical manifestations of severe CO poisoning include tachycardia, tachypnea, hypotension, metabolic acidosis, dysrhythmias, myocardial ischemia or infarction, noncardiogenic pulmonary edema, neurologic findings including irritability, impaired memory, cognitive and sensory disturbances, ataxia, altered or loss of consciousness, seizures, coma, and death, although any organ system might be involved.

Although CO poisoning can be fatal to anyone, children, pregnant women, the unborn, persons with sickle cell disease, older adults, and persons with chronic illness (e.g., heart or lung disease) are particularly vulnerable.


Subject:
[+]
Air Pollution, Indoor
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Cyclonic Storms
Electric Power Supplies
Gasoline
Inhalation Exposure
Natural Disasters

Series:
HAN ; 415
Document Type:
HAN Health Advisory
Name as Subject:
Hurricane Florence, 2018
Genre:
Practice Guideline
Place as Subject:
United States
Collection(s):
Health Alert Network (HAN)
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:3b460cee85b5be68a84ddb2d2647c1dcce500bcaedef4836afafef36b735861d
File Type:

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