ReviewDigitalis Toxicity: A Fading but Crucial Complication to Recognize
Section snippets
Case Presentation
A 73-year-old African-American male with multiple medical problems was admitted for recurrent episodes of syncope associated with coughing, and increasing weakness and dyspnea on exertion at 10 feet. He denied any history of palpitations, chest pain, or paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea.
The patient's comorbidities included obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia. He also had a history of chronic renal insufficiency with an admission creatinine of 3.78 mg/dL, or glomerular
Discussion
Digitalis glycosides have been used extensively for over 200 years, since British physician and botanist William Withering first reported on the foxglove's medical properties in treating ascites, anasarca, and dropsy.1 Over the past several decades, digitalis administration has evolved from an antiquated practice of titrating doses until toxic manifestations arose, to a lower dosing regimen guided by serum levels. Digoxin continues to play a role in treatment of chronic systolic/diastolic heart
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Conflict of Interest: None.
Authorship: All authors had a significant role in writing the manuscript.