Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by BEATTIE, A. D.
Right arrow Articles by WATSON, A. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by BEATTIE, A. D.
Right arrow Articles by WATSON, A. A.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Q J Med 1975; 44: 275-284
© 1975 Association of Physicians

research-article

Acute Lead Poisoning

FIVE CASES RESULTING FROM SELF-INJECTION OF LEAD AND OPIUM

A. D. BEATTIE, J. D. BRIGGS, J. S. F. CANAVAN, D. DOYLE, P. J. MULLIN and A. A. WATSON

University Department of Materia Medica, Stobhill Hospital Glasgow Department of Renal Medicine, Western Infirmary Glasgow University Departments of Neurology and Psychological Medicine, Southern General Hospital Glasgow Department of Forensic Medicine, University of Glasgow

Received 7 July 1974 Five cases of acute lead poisoning resulted from the self-injection of lead and opium pills which were crushed, heated and suspended in water. Two of the five patients died of illnesses in which hepatic failure and reversible acute tubular necrosis were prominent features. One of these two had a severe neuropathy, with flaccid quadriplegia and respiratory paralysis. The other three patients had relatively minor symptoms but unequivocal biochemical evidence of lead toxicity. Autopsy changes included hepatic degeneration with inclusion bodies, regenerating renal tubular epithelium and wasting of skeletal muscle. Hepatic lead content was extremely high in one case. Chelation therapy in the other fatal case resulted in a fall in blood lead to within normal linits and a clinical improvement, which was terminated by massive haemor-rhage from a ruptured innominate artery.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.