An article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) highlights a case of lead toxicity from Ayurvedic medicines in a young woman, and the complexity in diagnosing the rare condition https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.230592.
"Given that lead toxicity is uncommon and its presentation nonspecific, patients are often seen by many health care providers before the diagnosis is made," writes Dr. Julian Gitelman, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, with coauthors. "A careful exposure history is essential to suggest the diagnosis."
The patient, a 39-year-old woman, visited the emergency department 3 times in 6 weeks for abdominal pain, constipation, nausea and vomiting. On her third visit, she was admitted to hospital for anemia and possible gastrointestinal bleeding. Numerous, invasive investigations failed to reveal a cause of her symptoms. At a follow-up visit weeks later, she reported having taken Ayurvedic medicines daily for more than a year to treat infertility. Her blood lead level was high at 55 µg/dL, compared with a normal level of less than 2 µg/dL. The patient stopped taking the Ayurvedic treatments and began chelation therapy. Her blood lead l
