Progressive encephalopathy due to chronic exposure to lead

• Autor(a) principal: Brito, Paulo Santiago de Morais
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Outros Autores: Aquino, Bárbara Cristina Vieira de, Pessoa Neto, Agábio Diógenes, Freire, Mariana Galvão de Lima Martins, Fidelix, Emanuela Coriolano, Moreira Neto, Manuel, Silva, Rodrigo Alencar e, Godeiro Junior, Clécio de Oliveira
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UFRN
• Texto Completo: https://repositorio.ufrn.br/handle/123456789/53222; http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-0042-1758393
• topic: encephalopathy; progressive gait imbalance; cognitive decline

A 70-year-old man reported a 2-year history of progressive gait imbalance and cognitive decline (memory, executive functions, and language impairment). A physical examination revealed spastic ataxia without peripheral involvement. The patient worked with car battery solutions for 40 years, until 13 years ago.1 He had several hospitalizations due to acute lead poisoning, with levels of lead in the blood and urinary delta-aminolevulinic acid of 162,8 g/dl and 20 mg/U (normal: up to 40 g/dl and 4,5 mg/U) respectively). Recent brain neuroimages showed typical findings of saturnism,2 with normal bone profile blood tests. Therefore, chronic lead poisoning should be remembered as an environmental cause of leukoencephalopathy.