title: Misleading Gastrointestinal Symptoms: The Ongoing Story of Chronic Lead Intoxication.
abstract: Inorganic lead intoxication has emerged as an important and challenging clinical problem owing to increased awareness of lead and enhanced surveillance of exposed individuals. However, recognition may not be very difficult when there is an obvious history of exposure. Our interest began a few years ago when we could trace an outbreak, following a patient who was admitted with colickly abdominal pain, convulsions, and coma. After that, 16 more cases were identified and characterized. All patients recovered completely after adequate chelation therapy. Although the clinical picture of lead intoxication is pleomorphic, the increased awareness of gastroenterologists in this subject may possibly bring chronically complaining difficult patients to an earlier, unexpected, and fairly treatable disease.
authors.affiliation: Gastroenterology Department, Centro Hospitalar de São João, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Guilherme
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Macedo
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peixoto
mesh_terms: D000006:Abdomen, Acute / Q000209:etiology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015913:Chelation Therapy; D002648:Child; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D011174:Portugal / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult