A Case of Gastric Injury by Acute Iron Intoxication / 대한소화기내시경학회지

ABSTRACT

Iron is a kind of corrosive agent. Iron overdose causes gastrointestinal complication such as mucosal ulceration, bleeding, intestinal perforation and may occur metabolic acidosis, hepatic dysfunction, hepatic failure, renal failure and cardiomyopathy. Delayed sequalae including gastric outlet obstruction develops 4 to 6 weeks after ingestion. The determination of serum iron and TIBC is an important factor in ascertaining the toxic potential in acute iron ingestion and more is the amount of ingested elemental iron, greater is a patient's toxicity. Supportive care is most important and patients who have severe symptom and abnormal vital sign should be treated with deferoxamine. We report the case that a 20-year-old pregnant female (33 weeks gestation) who had visited complaining of gastrointestinal symptom with iron overdose state was administrated with deferoxamine, therefore we removed iron loads within stomach with endoscopic suction and observed multiple gastric erosion with much old iron in endoscopic findings.