| A 28 years-old
white man, was admitted in hospital due to relapsing
bouts of colicky abdominal pain for 10 days.
Pain was refractory to current analgesic and
opioids. He had no fever, vomiting, constipation
or diarrhoea, weight loss or general symptoms.The
patient worked as sheep's shepherd.
There were no relevant familial or personal antecedents.
Neither toxic habits were recorded. Physical examination
revealed no other abnormalities than a brown gums'
staining -Burton’s ring- (picture 1).
A peripheral blood smear was unremarkable. Coproporphirins
were elevated in a 24 h collected urine sample.
Lead concentration in a urine sample was 340 mcg/L
(NR < 50 mcg/L). Infusion of iv EDTA-calcium
w
Authors:
Miguel Ángel Torralba Cabeza
Pablo Pérez Calvo*
Servicio de Medicina Interna
Hospital Fundación de Calahorra
La Rioja
* Veterinario
Arnedo (La Rioja)
Translation: Sandra
Dieffenbach |
