History

Symptoms of nerve agent toxicity vary with the type of cholinergic receptor affected (muscarinic, nicotinic, or CNS) and include the following^[6]:

Respiratory - Dyspnea, cough, chest tightness, wheezing
Neurologic - Headache, weakness, fasciculations, extremity numbness, decreased level of consciousness (LOC), vertigo, dizziness, convulsions
Ophthalmic - Eye pain, blurred vision, dim vision, conjunctival injection, tearing
Ear, nose, throat - Rhinorrhea
Gastrointestinal - Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tenesmus, fecal incontinence
Genitourinary - Urinary incontinence
Dermal - Sweating
Psychological - Agitation
General - Fatigue

Physical

Signs of nerve agent toxicity also vary with the type of cholinergic receptor affected, and include the following:

Respiratory - Tachypnea, wheezing, respiratory failure
Cardiovascular - Bradycardia, tachycardia
Neurologic - Decreased LOC, weakness, fasciculations, seizure
Ophthalmic - Miosis, tearing, conjunctival injection
Dermal - Sweating

Differential Diagnoses

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