Acute Iron Poisoning: A Frequently Underrated Event
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24950/rspmi/CC211/16/2017Keywords:
Deferoxamine/therapeutic use, poisoning, Iron/poisoning, Iron OverloadAbstract
Acute iron poisoning is common and can be potentially severe.
Early recognition is the key to a good prognosis. It can
be classified into mild, moderate or severe, according to clinical
manifestations and serum iron levels. We report a case of
an 18-year-old female patient admitted with voluntary poisoning
of 25 pills of ferrous sulphate. She manifested with nausea,
vomit and diffuse abdominal pain, with normal physical
examination. She was monitored and started endovenous
fluids, but gastric lavage was not performed. Her serum
iron level was 537 ug/dL and transferrin saturation level was
131.3%. The abdominal radiograph showed a small amount
of pills on the stomach. Beholding severe iron poisoning desferroxamine
was initiated. Serum iron dropped to normal levels
and the patient maintained hemodynamic stability. She
was discharged after Psychiatric evaluation. We present this
case, because it reports a frequently underrated intoxication
and alerts to its often unknown serious complications.
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