1Department of Emergency Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical sciences
2Department of Clinical Toxicology and Forensic Medicine, Vali-Asr Hospital, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
Online published on 28 February, 2012.
75% of patients who are treated with lithium for a long time develop toxicity during their therapy. We report here a case of lithium toxicity that presented with neurologic symptoms.
A 46-year-old woman presented to our ED with disorientation and urinary incontinence. She had ataxic gait and speech disorder from four days later and fine tremor and mild edema in both hands and feet with a maculopapular rash in her feet. We requested serum level of lithium and it was 1,88meq/l. 8 hour after hydration with NS, serum level of lithium, was 0.9meq/l and the level of conscious and other abnormal signs and symptoms were improved.
Recognizing lithium toxicity maybe challenging, and It may be difficult to distinguish between lithium toxicity and other organic diseases.
Lithium toxicity should be considered as a DDX of AMS and weakness in patients who have psychiatric disorders.
