Lead encephalopathy caused by ingestion of illicitly distilled whiskey

Abstract

The clinical and laboratory manifestations of lead encephalopathy are described in 17 adults who had been drinking lead-contaminated, illicitly distilled whiskey. Their neurological symptoms often suggested an expanding intracranial lesion or delirium tremens and consisted of recurrent convulsive seizures, delirium, and alterations in consciousness. Marked anemia, basophilic stippling, and reticulocytosis were almost always present, and high concentrations of lead were usually found in the urine and blood. Treatment with calcium disodium edetate produces an increased urinary excretion of lead and may be an effective form of therapy.