[Acute amphetamine intoxication with catatonia: a case report].

A marked increase of cases of amphetamine intoxication has been witnessed in Taiwan over the past two years, and poisoning accounts for the direct cause of death in some cases of them. We report a case of 30-year-old woman, who developed immobility, rigidity, mutism and staring after the intake of four grams of amphetamine powder. She initially had generalized twitching, but finally came to a state of total immobility. One hour after admission, apnea and cyanosis occurred suddenly and she died about half an hour later. Chronic amphetamine intoxication with catatonia has been reported in Japan, but acute amphetamine intoxication with catatonia has never been reported in the literature. In this report, we explore the possible mechanisms of catatonia in amphetamine intoxication and its clinical significance. Catatonia is supposed to be one of the poor prognostic signs of acute amphetamine intoxication that requires intensive care.