Lead poisoning following ingestion of pieces of lead roofing plates: pica-like behavior in an adult.
Clin Toxicol (Phila)
; 46(3): 267-9, 2008 Mar.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-17906991
A 37-year-old man was admitted to hospital after complaining of abdominal pain for the past two weeks. On admission the abdominal radiograph showed multiple radio-opaque flecks dispersed throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Blood testing showed hemoglobin level 8.7 g/dL and a blood lead level of 112.4 microg/dL. The family interview revealed that the patient had pica-like behavior since childhood. He was a site foreman and had been ingesting pieces of roofing plates for a few weeks. The patient was treated with laxatives and CaNa(2)EDTA therapy was initiated. The blood lead level then dropped to 69.9 microg/dL. The patient received two subsequent courses of oral succimer and the blood lead level decreased to 59 microg/dL 21 days after the first course. The follow-up abdominal X-ray 20 days after the first examination was normal. Four months later, an outpatient follow-up visit showed a blood lead level within normal limits (14.5 microg/dL) and a psychiatric follow-up was initiated. Lead poisoning following the ingestion of lead-containing foreign bodies is particularly rare in adults, while it is sometimes observed in children. Pica behavior is a well-identified risk factor of lead intoxication in children but is quite exceptional in adults, where it is usually considered to be a psychiatric condition. Other unusual sources of lead poisoning include the ingestion of lead bullets, ceramic lead glaze or glazed earthenware, lead-contaminated candies, ethnic or herbal remedies.
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Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Pica
/
Intoxicación por Plomo
Tipo de estudio:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Adult
/
Humans
/
Male
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Clin Toxicol (Phila)
Asunto de la revista:
TOXICOLOGIA
Año:
2008
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Francia
Pais de publicación:
Reino Unido