LAUSR.org creates dashboard-style pages of related content for over 1.5 million academic articles. Sign Up to like articles & get recommendations!

Lead Encephalopathy with Distinctive Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Findings

Photo by camstejim from unsplash

Lead poisoning is a multisystem disorder, more commonly affecting children. Occupational exposure, traditional medicines, and contaminated alcohol have been associated with lead encephalopathy in adults. Herein, we report a patient… Click to show full abstract

Lead poisoning is a multisystem disorder, more commonly affecting children. Occupational exposure, traditional medicines, and contaminated alcohol have been associated with lead encephalopathy in adults. Herein, we report a patient of lead toxicity presenting to the emergency services as acute encephalopathy with symptomatic hyponatremia and chronic recurrent abdominal colic and vomiting. This 50-year-old battery mechanic had multisystem involvement with anemia, basophilic stippling, lead line on the gums, and chronic hypertension. The blood lead level was more than 65 mcg/dL. Computed tomography of the brain showed intracranial calcifications and the MRI brain showed bilateral symmetric involvement of the thalamus, basal ganglia, brainstem, and external capsule. His sensorium improved rapidly after the correction of hyponatremia, however, apathy and psychomotor slowing persisted. This case highlights the importance of recognizing clinical markers and characteristic imaging findings, which can provide clues to an early diagnosis of this otherwise rare clinical condition, and prompt chelation therapy and avoid further lead exposure.

Keywords: encephalopathy distinctive; imaging findings; lead encephalopathy; distinctive brain; brain magnetic; brain

Journal Title: Neurology India
Year Published: 2021

Link to full text (if available)


Share on Social Media:                               Sign Up to like & get
recommendations!

Related content

More Information              News              Social Media              Video              Recommended



                Click one of the above tabs to view related content.