Hepatotoxicity and neurotoxicity of Fipronil poisoning in human: A case report

Fipronil is an N-phenylprazole insecticide which is commonly used pesticide in south India. In animals it has been described to cause toxic manifestations mainly in the Gastro-intestinal (GI) and Central nervous system (CNS) and less commonly in kidney and liver. The available medical literature about toxic effects of Fipronil consumption in humans has been very little and mostly limited to acute GI and neurological manifestation mostly lasting for less than three days. We report the case of a 32-year-old gentleman who had consumed Fipronil (5%) in an attempt of deliberate self-harm. The patient had neurotoxicity features in the form of seizures and decreased sensorium requiring intensive medical care with mechanical ventilation and also had hepatotoxicity. Both hepatotoxicity and neurotoxicity lasted for nearly three weeks. The patient improved with supportive therapy and gradually overcame both the toxicities.