Paracetamol Overdose May Cause Transudative Pleural Effusion in Adults

Abstract

Paracetamol is the most widely used and prescribed drug word-wide. It is the most common cause of the poisoning and of the fatality due to the toxic administration throughout the world. A 34-year-old female patient applied to our ED with the complaint of swallowing 33 g of paracetamol. After routine toxicity treatment, on the third day of the hospitalization, dyspnea and pain on the right hemithorax and right flank occurred. Chest X-ray showed blunted right sinus. CT revealed bilateral pleural effusion. With thoracentesis, clear, colorless and odor-free fluid of about 500cc was drained. Laboratory examination of the fluid confirmed it as transudate. We believed pleural effusion is related to high-dose paracetamol intake and it occurred due to decrease in pleural permeability and the consequent decrease of the fluid absorption. In conclusion, high-dose intake of paracetamol might cause transudative pleural effusion as a complication.