Ethylene glycol poisoning

Definition

A rare poisoning resulting in elevated anion gap metabolic acidosis, due to the production of glycolic acid, glyoxylic acid, and oxalic acid by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) in the liver when ethylene glycol is metabolized, characterized initially by euphoria, slurred speech, encephalopathy, coma and seizures, and followed by late manifestations such as tachycardia, arrhythmias, myocardial depression, hemodynamic imbalance and, finally, acute renal failure.