She Has The Blues: An Unusual Case of Copper Sulphate Intoxication

Moussiegt, Aurore and Ferreira, Luis and Aboab, Jérome and Silva, Daniel (2020) She Has The Blues: An Unusual Case of Copper Sulphate Intoxication. European Journal of Case Reports in Internal Medicine, 7 (2). ISSN 2284-2594

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Abstract

Background: Copper is an essential trace element of the human body. However, it is related to many diseases. Copper intoxication is not common in Western countries, but needs to be rapidly recognised because of its high lethality. Case presentation: We report the case of a 40-year-old woman who presented to the emergency department after performing intrarectal administration of a blue powder sent from Cameroon by her family, in the belief that this would help her to get pregnant. Her evolution was complicated by multiorgan failure and the unusual circumstances. The diagnosis was suspected on the basis of the clinical presentation and the colour of the powder, and confirmed by blood dosage and toxicological analysis of the powder. She underwent symptomatic treatment, and the outcome was progressively favourable, apart from persistent chronic renal failure with dependence on dialysis. Conclusion: Copper intoxications are rare but severe. Laboratory diagnosis of the condition is not an issue; the difficulty is suspecting it and quickly initiating chelation treatment associated with symptomatic treatments.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Copper sulphate, toxicology, methemoglobinaemia
Subjects: 600 Tecnologia - Scienze applicate > 610 Medicina e salute (Classificare qui la tecnologia dei servizi medici) > 616 Malattie (classificare qui la Clinica medica, la medicina basata sull'evidenza, la Medicina interna, la Medicina sperimentale)
Depositing User: Chiara D'Arpa
Date Deposited: 19 Nov 2020 09:57
Last Modified: 19 Nov 2020 09:57
URI: http://eprints.bice.rm.cnr.it/id/eprint/19848

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