Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · Apr 1987
Seizures and hypothermia due to dietary water intoxication in infants.
I retrospectively describe 20 episodes of water intoxication in 19 infants, with hypothermia, seizures, and hyponatremia. Overdilution of formula or aggressive supplementation with water or clear juices were documented in 16 of the 20 episodes. Seizures and respiratory distress were severe enough in six cases to require intubation and ventilatory support. ⋯ The children were an average of 5.1 +/- 4.3 months of age; serum sodium values averaged 118 +/- 4.3 mmol/L. No evidence of excess production of antidiuretic hormone was found. Water intoxication in infants is common, and I discuss its possible relationship to demyelinating disease of the central nervous system.
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Cold hemagglutinin disease is infrequently recognized before complications ensue. We describe a patient with chronic cold hemagglutinin disease who sustained an acute hemolytic crisis during a routine operative procedure in a cool operating room. ⋯ Major complications from the presence of cold agglutinins have been poorly documented and are often thought to be of only theoretic concern. This case and literature review show that such complications may occur and emphasize the importance of careful preoperative plans when the Coombs' test suggests that cold agglutinins exist.