Chronic Aluminum Toxicity Due to Intravenous Substance Abuse Managed with Deferoxamine Chelation Therapy: Case Report.

Aluminum toxicity first came to attention in the medical literature as a sequela of peritoneal or hemodialysis, where accumulation of aluminum in body tissues results from the use of aluminum-containing dialysate and phosphate binders. The most common clinical presentations of aluminum toxicity include anemia, bone disease, and a syndrome of encephalopathy known as the dialysis encephalopathy sydrome (DES). We present the unique case of a 42-year-old man who developed chronic aluminum toxicity from the intravenous injection of a methadone preparation intended for oral consumption. The methadone solution was concentrated for intravenous injection by heating in aluminum cookware. Experiments performed in our laboratory reproducing this technique, using weakly acidic solutions similar to popular drink mixes, confirmed that significant amounts of elemental aluminum can be leached from aluminum cookware when heated. The patient presented to medical attention with generalized seizures, profound cerebellar dysfunction, myoclonus, and speech apraxia, all of which are characteristic of DES. The peripheral blood film revealed bizarre red cell morphology, with clear features of iron deficiency and prominent coarse basophilic stippling, suggesting impaired iron utilization, which is at least one mechanism of aluminum related hematologic toxicity. A bone marrow biopsy demonstrated extensive osteosclerosis and myelosclerosis, compatible with significant metabolic bone disease. Subsequent investigations revealed a serum aluminum level of 7200 nmol/L, eighteen times the upper limit of normal (400 nmol/L). Chelation therapy with a continuous intravenous infusion of deferoxamine was started, and over a course of ten months the serum aluminum level was reduced to 2390 nmol/L with few side effects. The patient made a significant neurologic recovery and returned to life in the community. This is the first detailed account of the successful use of deferoxamine to chelate aluminum in a patient without dialysis-dependent renal insufficiency. This case also highlights heavy metal exposure as a diagnostic consideration in intravenous substance abusers presenting with multiorgan dysfunction, and the importance of performing a thorough inquiry into injection drug practices when evaluating these patients.