In the wake of Hurricane Laura, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an alert, reminding clinicians seeing patients from the areas affected by the hurricane maintain a high index of suspicion for carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
Other people who may have been exposed to the same CO source as a patient diagnosed with CO poisoning also may need to be identified and assessed, the CDC said.
The CDC said the signs and symptoms of CO exposure are variable and nonspecific. A tension-type headache is the most common symptom of mild CO poisoning. Other symptoms may include dizziness, flu-like symptoms (e.g., weakness, nausea, vomiting, fatigue) without a fever, drowsiness, chest pain, and altered mental status.
