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Published on: March 21, 2021

Severe congenital lead poisoning in a preterm infant due to a herbal remedy

Paul A Tait1, Amish Vora, Simon James

  • 1Pharmacy Department, Women's and Children's Hospital, North Adelaide, SA.

The Medical Journal of Australia
|August 15, 2002
PubMed

Insights

A preterm infant experienced extremely high blood lead levels due to maternal lead poisoning from herbal supplements. Parenteral calcium disodium edetate effectively reduced the infant's lead burden.

Area of Science:

  • Toxicology
  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Environmental Health

Background:

  • Chronic lead poisoning in pregnant women poses significant risks to neonates.
  • Maternal exposure to environmental toxins can lead to severe infant health issues.

Observation:

  • A surviving neonate presented with the highest recorded blood lead level.
  • The infant's mother had a history of chronic lead poisoning.

Findings:

  • Parenteral calcium disodium edetate (Ca-EDTA) was effective in reducing the infant's lead burden.
  • Oral succimer was not effective in the neonatal period for lead reduction.
  • Long-term ingestion of lead-contaminated herbal tablets by the mother was identified as the exposure source.

Implications:

  • Highlights the critical need for screening pregnant women for lead exposure.
  • Demonstrates the efficacy of parenteral Ca-EDTA in neonatal lead poisoning cases.
  • Underscores the dangers of contaminated herbal remedies during pregnancy.

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