Lead poison symptoms may confuse doctors: report

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Lead poisoning can be a slow, agonizing process or a swift killer with symptoms ranging from vomiting to bulges in the skull that can fool doctors, a report released on Monday said.

Lead is toxic if ingested and is often found in older homes containing lead-based paint, which has since been phased out. Objects such as toys and charm bracelets may also contain the metal and pose a threat to children who swallow them, researchers reported in the Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Focusing on the case of a 4-year-old boy who died from lead poisoning caused by a heart-shaped charm he swallowed, Dr. Sheldon Berkowitz of Minneapolis Children's Clinic outlined symptoms that can confuse doctors.

Children with mild but chronic lead poisoning may show few symptoms but can suffer permanent brain damage.

"However, children with more significant acute lead intoxication can present with more severe symptoms such as irritability, lethargy, vomiting, seizures, and coma," Berkowitz wrote.

Another symptom to watch for is bulging in the soft spots or seams in the still-growing skull of young children.

The boy who died was later found to have 18 times the level of lead in his blood that the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention deems dangerous. X-rays showing the charm in his stomach came too late to save him.

"This case ... should increase our awareness of lead intoxication as a possible cause of increased intracranial pressure," he wrote.

Lead poisoning should also be considered by doctors when the patient exhibits "vomiting, developmental delays, hearing loss, behavioral problems, seizures, or anemia," he added.

The report recommended greater supervision of children so lead objects do not get into their hands.