What is a common presentation of digoxin toxicity?

Digoxin toxicity commonly presents with a variety of symptoms due to its effects on cardiac and neurological systems. One of the hallmark presentations is vision changes, which can include symptoms such as blurred vision, yellow or green tinted vision (xanthopsia), and the presence of halos around lights. These visual disturbances occur because digoxin affects not only the heart but also the retinal cells, leading to altered visual perception.

Understanding the mechanism behind digoxin toxicity is essential; digoxin primarily acts by inhibiting the Na+/K+ ATPase pump, which can lead to increased intracellular calcium in cardiac cells, enhancing contractility but also causing arrhythmias and other systemic effects. The visual changes result from the drug's action on the central nervous system and the retina.

Other symptoms of digoxin toxicity can include gastrointestinal disturbances (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea), neurological symptoms (confusion, fatigue, weakness), and cardiac manifestations (arrhythmias). However, the specific answer of vision changes directly highlights one of the most distinctive features associated with digoxin toxicity that clinicians should be aware of when assessing a patient.