Alternative therapy spikes lead level in woman’s blood sixfold

BENGALURU: A 43-year-old woman, who was regularly availing alternative therapy, was found to be suffering from lead poisoning. The lead level in her blood was almost six times the normal range and the medicines she was on were found to have high content of the metal.
Suffering from acute abdominal pain, weight loss, fatigue and low haemoglobin level for several months, the woman visited several hospitals in vain before being brought to Manipal Hospitals in November 2018.No medicine helped her and even the abdominal CT scan didn’t show an anomaly. However, detailed blood tests revealed the lead content in her body was extremely high.

Her blood lead level was 58.5 micrograms per decilitre (mcg/dl) in November and tests repeated in December showed it was 59.9mcg/dl. As per World Health Organisation (WHO) standards, the permissible limit of lead is 5mcg/dl in children and 10mcg/dl in adults.
The patient admitted that she was on alternative medication and was consuming bhasma (burnt metal ash) for restless leg syndrome. She had availed treatment from an alternative medicine therapist in Andhra Pradesh, her home state.
“In many cases, we suspect lead poisoning, but establishing the facts become difficult as the source of lead isn’t easy to figure out. The patient showed us the alternative medicines she was taking and when we tested a sample of the bhasma, the results were confirmatory,” said Dr Raj Vigna Venugopal, HoD, gastroenterology, Manipal Hospitals.
Medicines are now being given to the woman to detoxify her and bring her lead level under control.
According to Dr Raj, quackery can lead to significant injuries and even be life threatening due to half-baked knowledge and prescription of unregulated medicines. “We need a strong policy by the government to curb quackery,” he said.
Dr Tuppil Venkatesh, known as the ‘lead man of India’, said the number of people diagnosed with lead poisoning is increasing largely due to lack of awareness among the public. CEO and director of the Foundation for Quality India (FQI) and director of the National Referral Centre for Lead Projects in India, Dr Tuppil added that lead poisoning is 100% preventive and if one chooses to take alternative medicine, it must be branded alternative drugs manufactured by trained people.
Dr S Ahalya, principal, Government Ayurvedic Medical College, said, “We need to examine facts before coming to a conclusion. People must be aware of the drug and its dosage, and make sure they go a registered practitioner. Many educated people still consult quacks. In this case, it’s not known what medicine was given to the patient, for how long was it prescribed and for how long she took it.”