عنوان مقاله :
Opium - an Unusual Cause of Lead Poisoning: A Case Series
پديد آورندگان :
Sadeghi، Anahita Digestive Disease Research Institute - Digestive Disease Research Center - Tehran University of Medical Sciences , Biglari، Mohammad Department of Internal Medicine - Shariati Hospital - Tehran University of Medical Sciences , Soleimani, Hamidreza Digestive Disease Research Institute - Digestive Disease Research Center - Tehran University of Medical Sciences , Sadeghi, Atousa Booali Hospital - Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences , Nasseri-Moghaddam, Siavosh Digestive Disease Research Institute - Digestive Disease Research Center - Tehran University of Medical Sciences , Radmard, Amir Reza Department of Radiology - Tehran University of Medical Science , Sotoodehmanesh, Rasoul Digestive Disease Research Institute - Digestive Disease Research Center - Tehran University of Medical Sciences
كليدواژه :
Opium , Lead poisoning , Addiction
چكيده فارسي :
Background:
Lead is a widely distributed metal in the environment and can be toxic to the human body. Lead poisoning has different clinical features.
Recently, there have been increasing reports about lead poisoning following oral opium use. We report on a series of patients presented
with abdominal pain attributable to lead-contaminated opium.
Materials and Methods:
We recruited all patients presented with abdominal pain and opium addiction, referring to the emergency room of a universityaffiliated
hospital. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data, as well as abdominal imaging and blood lead level, were collected
for all patients.
Results:
Of 208 patients enrolled, 183 were male (88%), and the mean age was 51.2 ± 14.1 years. They all had a minimum of one-year
history of oral opium consumption. 112 (53.8%) patients had a blood lead level of more than 20 μg/dL, and 22 patients (10.5%)
had a blood lead level of more than 100 μg/dL. Half of the patients had a history of several hospital admissions for abdominal
pain. Among patients with a lead level of more than 20 μg/dL, 87 (78%) had anemia with a hemoglobin level of less than 13 g/dL
(mean hemoglobin 11.1 ± 2.5 g/dL).
Conclusion:
Our case series highlights the role of opium administration as a possible emerging cause of acute abdominal pain of unknown
cause.
