Temperature changes among organophosphate poisoned patients, Tehran- Iran

60 patients with diagnose of organophosphate poisoning were included in this study. Questioner was filled out by trained nurses including demographic, clinical and paraclinical data. Tympanic temperature and Pulse rate data of the cases were collected on five- occasions after admission.There were 41 (68.3%) male and 19 (31.7%) female, with a mean age of 34.4 ±19.4 years (range 13–89 years). Forty five patients had intentional poisoning for suicidal attempt. At the time of entry, the mean tympanic temperature, pulse rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) of the OP poisoned patients were respectively 37.1+/？0.6°C (36.0- 39.5), 91+/？18 (55–145), 18+/？5.6 (8–44), 116+/？20 mm Hg (70–170) and 75+/？11.6 mm Hg (40–110). 41.7% of the cases had serum butyryl cholinesterase activities (BChE)？≥？50% normal (≥1600 mU/ml). Our patients had normal temperature at the time entry (mean？=？37.1). Tympanic temperature decreasing below 36°C was not detected among the patients during the study period. A rise in mean tympanic temperature was found after atropine administration.Our study showed hypothermia was not considerable factor among organophosphate poisoned patients, although more studies with similar situations in tropical countries are needed.Acute poisoning with organophosphorus compounds (OPs) is a major global clinical problem in the developing countries with a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. It can occur in a variety of situations such as agricultural use, accidental exposure, suicide and, rarely, homicide [1,2]. Organophosphorus compounds form a large family of ~50 000 chemical agents [3].These compounds act by inhibiting acetylcholinesterase activity at muscarinic and nicotinic receptors in the brain and different parts of neuromuscular junctions. Four clinical syndromes that have been described in patients with OPs poisoning, are cholinergic crisis, intermediate syndrome, delayed neuropathy and chronic organophosphate inducted neurops