Asymptomatic congenital lead poisoning - case report

Context. Congenital lead poisoning is uncommon and there is no consensus on the management of the newborn. Case Details. A female infant was born to a lead-burdened woman identified by screening just prior to delivery. Maternal blood lead level (BLL) was 58 mu g/dL. The infant's BLL on the second day of life was 72 mu g/dL with a free erythrocyte protoporphyrin level of 175 mu g/dL. The child was managed by an exchange transfusion followed by chelation. The BLL 6 h after exchange transfusion was 11.4 mu g/dL. Follow-up 2 years later showed a BLL of 9 mu g/dL and normal development. Discussion. We present the details of a case of congenital lead poisoning treated aggressively which appears to have resulted in a favorable outcome.