Lead poisoning in a 6-month-old infant: a case report
BackgroundLead is a toxic element of the environment that leads to major complications once it enters the blood stream, affecting multiple organs and systems of the body.MethodsWe present a case of a 6-month-old female infant diagnosed with lead poisoning after presenting for routine child health ca...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1132199/full |
| _version_ | 1797833604482465792 |
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| author | Yifei Duan Yifei Duan Lingyi Yan Lingyi Yan Zhengxiang Gao Zhengxiang Gao Yu Gou Yu Gou |
| author_facet | Yifei Duan Yifei Duan Lingyi Yan Lingyi Yan Zhengxiang Gao Zhengxiang Gao Yu Gou Yu Gou |
| author_sort | Yifei Duan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundLead is a toxic element of the environment that leads to major complications once it enters the blood stream, affecting multiple organs and systems of the body.MethodsWe present a case of a 6-month-old female infant diagnosed with lead poisoning after presenting for routine child health care. The child's mother denied that the infant had a history of exposure to lead-containing substances. After a month of calcium supplementation, the patient's blood lead level remained elevated. We then tested the blood lead level of the mother and father. The results showed that the blood lead level of the mother was 77.0 μg/L and that of the father was 36.9 μg/L. The high blood lead level of the mother attracted our attention. We found that the mother had been using an external traditional Chinese medicine, Hu Wang Fen, which contains lead. After the mother's discontinuation of use of the traditional medicine, the child was treated with symptomatic treatment and chelation therapy. Subsequently, the patient's blood lead level decreased significantly.ResultsLead toxicity can be a life-threatening problem because of its potential for severe complications. In children, there is no safe blood lead level, and the toxic effects of lead can be prevented by the awareness and avoidance of traditional Chinese medicines that may contain lead.ConclusionEven though the diagnosis of lead poisoning remains difficult in children, it must be taken into consideration by the clinician when treating a child using traditional Chinese medicines. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T14:26:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-21b35b75df004680b2873165faa3b570 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T14:26:53Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-21b35b75df004680b2873165faa3b5702023-05-04T04:11:12ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652023-05-011110.3389/fpubh.2023.11321991132199Lead poisoning in a 6-month-old infant: a case reportYifei Duan0Yifei Duan1Lingyi Yan2Lingyi Yan3Zhengxiang Gao4Zhengxiang Gao5Yu Gou6Yu Gou7Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, ChinaKey Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Sichuan University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu, Sichuan, ChinaDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, ChinaKey Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Sichuan University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu, Sichuan, ChinaDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, ChinaKey Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Sichuan University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu, Sichuan, ChinaDepartment of Laboratory Medicine, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, ChinaKey Laboratory of Birth Defects and Related Diseases of Women and Children, Sichuan University, Ministry of Education, Chengdu, Sichuan, ChinaBackgroundLead is a toxic element of the environment that leads to major complications once it enters the blood stream, affecting multiple organs and systems of the body.MethodsWe present a case of a 6-month-old female infant diagnosed with lead poisoning after presenting for routine child health care. The child's mother denied that the infant had a history of exposure to lead-containing substances. After a month of calcium supplementation, the patient's blood lead level remained elevated. We then tested the blood lead level of the mother and father. The results showed that the blood lead level of the mother was 77.0 μg/L and that of the father was 36.9 μg/L. The high blood lead level of the mother attracted our attention. We found that the mother had been using an external traditional Chinese medicine, Hu Wang Fen, which contains lead. After the mother's discontinuation of use of the traditional medicine, the child was treated with symptomatic treatment and chelation therapy. Subsequently, the patient's blood lead level decreased significantly.ResultsLead toxicity can be a life-threatening problem because of its potential for severe complications. In children, there is no safe blood lead level, and the toxic effects of lead can be prevented by the awareness and avoidance of traditional Chinese medicines that may contain lead.ConclusionEven though the diagnosis of lead poisoning remains difficult in children, it must be taken into consideration by the clinician when treating a child using traditional Chinese medicines.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1132199/fullleadlead poisoningblood lead leveltraditional Chinese medicineHu Wang Fen |
| spellingShingle | Yifei Duan Yifei Duan Lingyi Yan Lingyi Yan Zhengxiang Gao Zhengxiang Gao Yu Gou Yu Gou Lead poisoning in a 6-month-old infant: a case report Frontiers in Public Health lead lead poisoning blood lead level traditional Chinese medicine Hu Wang Fen |
| title | Lead poisoning in a 6-month-old infant: a case report |
| title_full | Lead poisoning in a 6-month-old infant: a case report |
| title_fullStr | Lead poisoning in a 6-month-old infant: a case report |
| title_full_unstemmed | Lead poisoning in a 6-month-old infant: a case report |
| title_short | Lead poisoning in a 6-month-old infant: a case report |
| title_sort | lead poisoning in a 6 month old infant a case report |
| topic | lead lead poisoning blood lead level traditional Chinese medicine Hu Wang Fen |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1132199/full |
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