1/11. Lead induced anaemia due to traditional Indian medicine: a case report.Lead intoxication in adults without occupational exposure is a rare and unexpected event. The case of a western European is reported who had severe anaemia after ingestion of several ayurvedic drugs, obtained during a trip to india. Laboratory findings showed high blood lead concentrations, an increased urinary lead concentration, and an increased urinary excretion of delta-aminolaevulinic acid. Also, slightly increased urinary concentrations of arsenic and silver were found. physicians should be aware that with growing international travel and rising self medication with drugs from uncontrolled sources the risk of drug induced poisoning could increase in the future.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = anaemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/11. lead poisoning from Indian herbal medicine (Ayurveda)OBJECTIVE: To present a case of lead poisoning following ingestion of Indian herbal medicine. CLINICAL FEATURES: A 37-year-old man presented with a history of abdominal pain, anorexia and malaise. He had recently returned from a trip to india where he had been taking two different herbal tonics. Investigation revealed low-grade hepatitis and normocytic anaemia with prominent basophilic stippling. The blood lead concentration was high, and analysis of the herbal tablets revealed a very high lead content. INTERVENTION AND OUTCOME: The patient required narcotic analgesia for abdominal pain and was treated with chelation therapy with calcium ethylenediaminetetra-acetate (calcium EDTA) for five days which resulted in a high urinary excretion of lead and resolution of his symptoms over a period of several days. CONCLUSION: lead poisoning in australia is usually the result of chronic industrial exposure, but practitioners should be aware of the possibility of poisoning from other domestic sources such as unglazed pottery, cosmetics and herbal remedies, especially those from Asia and india, in which lead may be present in high concentration. patients from Asia who present with unexplained anaemia or abdominal symptoms should be asked about exposure to such sources.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.4keywords = anaemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/11. lead poisoning after ingestion of home-made Chinese medicines.A young woman presented with non-specific generalized musculoskeletal pain. Investigations revealed anaemia, raised reticulocyte count, basophilic stippling and erythroid hyperplasia of the bone marrow. Further history showed that she had been taking home-made Chinese medicines for acne for two months and the blood lead level confirmed the diagnosis of lead poisoning. The medications were stopped and her condition gradually improved. Incorporating the use of herbal medicines into the routine medical history is important in early identification of herbal poisoning.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.2keywords = anaemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/11. A medical mystery. lead poisoning.A 25-year-old schizophrenic man presented with abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, weight loss and anaemia. He was noted to be malnourished with generalised muscle atrophy. Laboratory investigations showed Hb 4.7 mmol/L, MCV 80fl, bilirubin 75 micromol/L and reticulocyte count 93 percent. Peripheral blood films showed anisocytosis, basophilic stippling and Cabot's rings. electromyography confirmed typical motor nerve neuropathy. The clinical and laboratory findings were that of lead poisoning. The patient was later found to be ingesting lead-containing paint. He was treated with lead-chelating agents.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.2keywords = anaemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/11. Saturnism caused by hand-made plates: partial diagnosis by a computer-aided program.A man, aged 41 years, suffering from anaemia and abdominal pains was admitted to the Department of Medicine. Over the previous 2 years he had had several periods in hospital for these symptoms. There was, apparently, no occupational or accidental exposure to toxic substances and a correct diagnosis of the condition had not been possible. The computer-aided program AIDEDIAG II was therefore used to attempt a diagnosis. This approach indicated possible saturnism which was confirmed by metabolic and lead analyses. The lead source was identified as the hand-made food-plates used by the patient for his meals.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.2keywords = anaemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/11. lead poisoning--a family study.OBJECTIVE: A family study is used to highlight the varied manifestations of lead poisoning and difficulties in diagnosis and treatment. CLINICAL FEATURES: A 42-year-old Italian woman with a known beta-thalassaemia trait presented with a two-year history of disabling pains and symptomatic anaemia, which were found to be caused by lead poisoning. INTERVENTION AND OUTCOME: Screening for lead poisoning among her immediate family members identified two others with different manifestations of plumbism. All three needed active chelating, which resulted in resolution of their symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The similar haematological findings of beta-thalassaemia and lead poisoning may lead to a delay in diagnosis and treatment of lead poisoning when these two conditions coexist.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.2keywords = anaemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/11. herbal medicine as a cause of combined lead and arsenic poisoning.1. Combined chronic lead and arsenic poisoning was diagnosed in a 33-year-old Korean woman following consumption of a Korean herbal medicine prescribed for haemorrhoids. 2. The patient had malaise, severe difficulty walking, arthralgia, oedema and abdominal pain with diarrhoea. 3. Investigation showed anaemia with basophilic stippling, fragmentation and a raised reticulocyte count. 4. Raised blood and urine lead levels and urine arsenic levels were found. 5. Analysis of the herbal medicine revealed a high lead and arsenic content. 6. Treatment with the newer chelating agent 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid was successful, with no detectable side-effects.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.2keywords = anaemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/11. lead poisoning in infancy--unusual causes in the U.A.E.Six infants, three of them neonates, were diagnosed as having acute lead poisoning; four of them had acute encephalopathy. All had been given an indigenous preparation, 'Bint Al Zahab' (Daughter of gold), for abdominal colic and early passage of meconium after birth. Chemical analysis of this powder revealed a lead content of 82.5%. The index case had anaemia with punctate basophilia, dense metaphysial lines on X-ray and markedly raised blood lead levels, arousing a strong index of suspicion for the early diagnosis of subsequent cases. Computerized axial tomography (CAT) scan in three cases showed signs of early cerebral cortical atrophy. The picture of cerebral oedema was absent in the four cases of acute lead encephalopathy. The importance of prevention and the ideal management is discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.2keywords = anaemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/11. Lead encephalopathy from an imported Toby mug.Encephalopathy is an unusual manifestation of lead poisoning in an adult, the more common presentation being abdominal colic, anaemia and limb palsy. We report a case of adult lead encephalopathy and describe the use of a simple screening test for lead poisoning together with the increasing number of cases associated with imported ceramics.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.2keywords = anaemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/11. A ceramic glazer presenting with extremely high lead levels.A case of lead poisoning in a ceramic glazer is reported. The patient had an extremely high level of blood lead at 29.5 mumol/l, and many of the laboratory features of lead toxicity: normocytic anaemia with marked basophilic stippling, abnormal blood and urinary porphyrins, and elevated liver enzymes. Surprisingly, the patient had no electromyographic evidence of neurologic involvement. The patient was treated with intravenous EDTA-calcium followed by oral penicillamine. Urinary porphyrin and porphyrin precursor excretion followed an interesting pattern, correlating with the chelator used. This patient illustrates that extremely high blood lead level can be achieved through the oral route in an adult.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.2keywords = anaemia (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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