Guillain-Barré-like syndrome in a child with lead poisoning.
Lead poisoning is a medical condition caused by increased levels of the heavy metal lead in the body, generally resulting from environmental exposure. Lead poisoning can cause a variety of symptoms which vary depending on the individual and the duration of lead exposure; lead poisoning is more noxious to children than adults, because it can damage the brain and nerve development of children.We report a case of lead poisoning in a 5-year-old girl caused by accidental ingestion of a metal ring. Simultaneously, the child showed anemia, encephalopathy, and peripheral neuropathy with albuminocytological dissociation mimicking Guillain-Barré syndrome.This case suggests that anemia with signs of peripheral and central nervous system damage could be considered as a possible manifestation of lead poisoning in children.
Department of Neurologic and Psychiatric Sciences, Child Neuropsychiatry Unit, University of Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
Maddalena
M
Toto
Andrea
A
De Giacomo
Maria Giuseppina
MG
Petruzzelli
Franca
F
Dicuonzo
Nicola
N
Santoro
Giovanni Carlo
GC
Del Vecchio
Francesco
F
Craig
Lucia
L
Margari
D000740:Anemia / Q000209:etiology; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000150:complications*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D009413:Nerve Fibers, Myelinated / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000209:etiology; D011522:Protons
D011522:Protons; D001224:Aspartic Acid; C000179:N-acetylaspartate; D002794:Choline