Ethylene Glycol Toxicity Differential Diagnoses

Updated: Nov 28, 2021
  • Author: Daniel C Keyes, MD, MPH; Chief Editor: Sage W Wiener, MD  more...
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DDx

Diagnostic Considerations

Ethylene glycol should not be confused with diethylene glycol, which essentially consists of two ethylene glycol molecules attached to each other.  Sporadic outbreaks of diethylene glycol toxicity occur in children in the developing world, resulting from the use of diethylene glycol as a solvent for medications. Patients present with altered mental status, nausea, and vomiting. Laboratory studies show a profound metabolic acidosis and acute kidney injury, similar to ethylene glycol toxicity. Successful treatments with fomepizole and hemodialysis have been reported. [5, 6]

Differential Diagnoses