ABSTRACT

Lead poisoning is a significant risk to public health, which may involve major organs. Recently, there have been reports of an outbreak of lead toxicity due to opium contamination with lead in Iran. Gastroenterology symptoms were the most presentation of lead toxicity in opium users. The following case report argument about GI presentation of lead toxicity. We here report a case of a 36-year-old woman presenting with an acute, severe abdominal pain. With reviewing of abdominal CT scans, a suspicious diagnosis of lead poisoning was made by detecting of multiple radiopaque lesions in the intestine. She was an oral opium user for several years. Lead poisoning was confirmed by toxic Blood lead level (BLL), and chelation therapy started under the toxicology expert’s supervision. Early diagnosis of lead poisoning by assessing the BLL can prevent unnecessary investigations and interventions and permits early commencement of the treatment.

Keywords: Lead, Poisoning, Opium, Acute abdomen, Narcotic bowel syndrome