[Acute poisoning with lithium carbonate in a young woman--case report]

In the clinical practice there are three types of lithium intoxication: acute poisoning in patients not previously treated with lithium, acute on chronic poisoning, i.e., an acute overdose in patients who are under lithium treatment and chronic poisoning that occurs in patients who are under lithium treatment. Threats and the clinical management in these types are different. The paper describes a case of a young woman acutely intoxicated with lithium carbonate, never treated lithium before. Plasma concentration of lithium, 15 hours after ingestion of 9.75 g lithium carbonate, was 2.56 mmol/L. Only minor clinical symptoms were observed. Calculated elimination half-life was 15-26.8 hours.