
patented ASA as a drug under the brand name Aspirin. 1 In 1899, the German pharmaceutical company Friedrich Bayer and Co. It has served as the primary ingredient in analgesic, antipyretic, and anti-inflammatory medications since the fifth century bc in ancient Greece.Ĭharles Frédéric Gerhardt, a French chemist, synthesized an unstable, impure form of ASA in 1853. Salicin, a compound first extracted from the bark of willow plant species ( Salix), is the precursor of synthetically derived acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), or aspirin. Salicylate and its derivatives are ubiquitous agents found in over-the-counter and prescription medications. Key words: salicylate, acetylsalicylic acid, aspirin, salicylate poisoning, salicylate toxicity, salicylism, methyl salicylate, ototoxicity, tinnitus, hyperventilation, hyperpnea, respiratory alkalosis, metabolic acidosis, Krebs cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, hyperthermia, seizures, anion gap, sodium bicarbonate, urine alkalinization, Done nomogram This article reviews the pathophysiology of salicylate metabolism, the clinical and diagnostic clues of an acute overdose, and the cellular response of salicylate poisoning on various organ systems, as well as differential diagnoses and treatment approaches to toxicity in children. Despite a decline in popularity, this chemical compound’s ubiquity and accessibility results in it being frequently implicated in childhood drug poisonings. Despite this decline in reported deaths and general use, it is still imperative that clinicians are adept at early recognition and swift management of patients with salicylate overdose.Abstract: Salicylate and its derivatives are commonly found worldwide in common medications used to treat pain, fever, and inflammation.

In the last 5 years of data available (2008–2012), there were 20 to 30 deaths per year reported ( Chap.

The association with Reye syndrome safer packaging and the increased use of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), APAP, and other alternatives to aspirin has decreased the incidence of unintentional salicylate poisoning.

Salicylate toxicity and fatalities have long been a major toxicological “concern.” From the 1950s to 1970s, salicylate was the leading cause of fatal childhood poisoning.

Analgesics, which include both aspirin and acetaminophen (APAP), continue to rank first among pharmaceuticals most frequently reported in human exposures ( Chap. The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) National Poison Data System (NPDS) collects and reports annual exposure data in the United States.
