title: Arsenic intoxication presenting as a myelodysplastic syndrome: a case report.
abstract: A case of arsenic intoxication presenting as a myelodysplastic syndrome is reported. A 41-year-old woman with a 6-month history of gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms was noted to be pancytopenic at presentation. A bone marrow aspirate revealed dysmyelopoietic changes involving all three marrow cell lines. Subsequent analysis of urine for heavy metals demonstrated very high levels of arsenic. Treatment with British anti-Lewisite (BAL) resulted in the resolution of gastrointestinal symptoms and hematological abnormalities although the neurological complications progressed. This case emphasizes that heavy metal intoxication should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any individual presenting with the hematological features of myelodysplasia especially when accompanied by clinical features considered atypical for primary or secondary myelodysplasia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Hartford Hospital, Connecticut 06115.
authors.forename: W N
authors.initials: WN
authors.lastname: Rezuke
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: W T
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Pastuszak
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Conway
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Firshein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis; D020261:Arsenic Poisoning; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D010198:Pancytopenia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D011041:Poisoning / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D001151:Arsenic