The Hidden Dangers of Alternative Medicines: A Lead Poisoning Case Study

In today's medical case, we delve into the repercussions of neglecting one's health in the quest for a miraculous medical solution. The story unfolds with a seemingly healthy individual, eager to conceive, seeking various health practitioners' advice despite already consulting a fertility specialist. In her pursuit of medical miracles, she was handed an array of supplements, reassured of their safety and efficacy. Unbeknownst to her, this decision would cost her years of her life.

It began with abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. As you would expect she thought she was pregnant. I could imagine the thoughts in her head and how she would have been happy but the results kept coming back negative and the symptoms didn't stop. This symptom began to affect her daily activity and since she wasn't pregnant, she wanted to be sure she was fine so she went to the doctor who performed an ultrasound, and vitals but everything seemed fine.

The pain continued and she was worried. She could barely eat, and this condition landed her at the emergency. At the emergency, a blood work was done and mild anemia was discovered and was given iron supplement to her anemia but her symptoms progressed and one day she fell to the ground.

Rushed back to the hospital, it was discovered that her heart rate had spiked, and her hemoglobin levels had plummeted to a critical low, necessitating a blood transfusion. It was clear that her hemoglobin levels were dropping due to gastrointestinal bleeding. Her stay in the hospital involved close monitoring, yet her hemoglobin levels continued to decrease. A diagnosis of hypoproliferative microcytic anemia was made, and the patient's silence about the supplements she'd been consuming from her alternative health practitioner raised questions.

Patients with hypoproliferative microcytic anemia could have this due to iron deficiency, anemia of chronic disease, zinc deficiency, copper deficiency, sideroblastic anemia, lead toxicity, genetic causes and side effects from medication. Most causes of hypoproliferative microcytic anemia are from Iron deficiency but then iron deficiency wouldn't cause stomach pain.

With this stomach pain, it can be endometriosis (where tissues similar to the lining of the uterus grows elsewhere in the body) and with this, the tissue breaks down just like during a normal cycle leading to bleeding internally. This could lead to severe abdominal pain, as well as infertility. Asides from all I said, diagnosis showed a cyst in the ovary and biopsy of the cyst and a bone marrow biopsy was also done.

With the continuous use of the drugs from her health practitioner she began to experience headache, tinnitus and presumptive diagnosis could be looking at Porphyria and with a Porphyria screen, showing elevated levels of coproporphyrin III and δ-aminolevulinic acid which would mean two things Porphyria or lead poisoning. With blood lead test, it can show if it is one of them. The blood lead test showed a high level of lead in the blood and this proved that she was suffering from lead poisoning.

Lead accumulates in the bone marrow blocking enzymes that produce heme leading to lack of hemoglobin, and it is accompanied by those symptoms but could progress to become neurological and can lead to hypoproliferative microcytic anemia. As lead blocks heme producing enzymes it begins to produce byproduct coproporphyrin III and δ-aminolevulinic acid.

The cause of this alarming scenario was traced back to the Ayurvedic medications she had been taking to address her infertility issues. Many Ayurvedic remedies contain heavy metals such as lead, mercury, or arsenic, and in this case, it was the lead content that led to the development of hypoproliferative microcytic anemia. This serves as a stark reminder of the importance of transparency in healthcare and the potential dangers of consuming alternative medicines without proper understanding or oversight.

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Read More

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https://www.cmaj.ca/content/195/30/E1010
https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/ayurvedic-health-canada-1.4995865
https://www.fda.gov/food/dietary-supplements
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/ayurvedic-medicine-in-depth
https://recalls-rappels.canada.ca/en/alert-recall
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/liver-disease/porphyria
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537352/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4826729/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499994/
https://www.cancertherapyadvisor.com/home/

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Image Reference

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Image 1 || Flickr || Hemoglobin
Image 2 || Wikimedia Commons || Porphyria Conditions