February 2, 2011

Happy Valentines

Arrhythmia: a disorder of the heart rate (pulse) or heart rhythm, such as beating too fast (tachycardia), or too slow (bradycardia), or irregularly.

Often misdiagnosed in agricultural areas, bradycardia and tachycardia arrhythmia and irregular heart rates are known symptoms of Carbamate and Organophosphate pesticide exposure. Physical findings vary according to the route of exposure, the age of patient, and the specific chemical (1).

Common symptoms include: chest pain, fast or slow heartbeat (palpitations), paleness, shortness of breath, light-headedness, dizziness, fainting, skipping beats - changes in the pattern of the pulse, incoordination, muscle twitching, runny nose, and sweating (2,3)

Misdiagnosis occurs when Organophosphate / Carbamate exposure is not a consideration. When "confirming a diagnosis of Organophosphate insecticide poisoning, it is useful to consider what other medical conditions might be possible misdiagnoses or other alternative conditions relevant to diagnosis
Read more at http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/o/organophosphate_insecticide_poisoning/misdiag.htm?ktrack=kcplink
(4)." If an arrhythmia is detected, various tests may be done to confirm or rule out suspected causes. When testing results do not confirm a physiological cause for the exposure induced arrhythmia, consistently the misdiagnosis becomes psychological. If you are experiencing any of the aforementioned symptoms and live in an agricultural area such as the west side of Kauai, ask your health care professional to include testing for pesticide poisoning in their prescribed testing regiment.

1.Toxicity, Organophosphates
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1009888-overview
2. PuBMed Health - U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002091
3. Center for Disease Control: Characteristic Signs and Symptoms...
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/pesticides/pdfs/pest-cd2app2v2.pdf

4. Misdiagnosis of Organophosphate Insecticide Poisoning
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/o/organophosphate_insecticide_poisoning/misdiag.htm
5. Image
http://www.21stcenturycollaborative.com/2010/07/matters-of-the-heart/