Copper Poisoning: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

Copper poisoning can be caused by genetic abnormalities or by excessive exposure to copper in food or water. Copper is a heavy metal that is perfectly safe to ingest in small amounts. Of the 50–80 mg of copper that are in your body, the majority are stored in your muscles and liver, where excess copper is filtered out to form waste products like urine and feces.

The normal range for blood copper levels is 70–140 micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dL).

We'll guide you through the diagnosis and treatment of copper poisoning and discuss any possible connections to IUDs. Many body functions and systems require copper. With the help of copper, the tissues that make up your bones, joints, and ligaments are produced. You may get a lot of copper from your diet. A blood copper level over 140 mcg/dL is indicative of copper toxicity.

What Makes Copper Poisonous?

In water, copper Copper poisoning can occur when someone unintentionally consumes large quantities of copper from water sources with increased copper content. When they spill into nearby reservoirs or public wells, farm operations, and industrial waste can contaminate water.

Water flowing through copper pipes may absorb copper particles and get excessively contaminated, especially if the pipes are corroded.

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Food Items That Include Copper

The same can occur with meals served on rusted copper plates or alcoholic beverages produced on corroded copper drinkware or cocktail shakers. But this is not a regular occurrence. The degradation of the copper is an important aspect.

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What Conditions Are Associated With Copper Poisoning?

Certain inherited problems may also affect your liver's ability to properly remove copper from your body. Long-term copper poisoning may result from this. A number of these situations include:

• Wilson's disease
• Hepatic disease
• Hepatitis-related anemia (low red blood cell count)
• Thyroid disorders
• Leukemia, or blood cell cancer
• Lymphoma, or lymph node cancer
• Inflammatory arthritis

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What Foods Are Rich In Copper?

You don't have to fully avoid copper. You need to consume copper-rich foods. Usually, you can regulate your copper levels to a regulated level just with nutrition.

Among the foods high in copper are:

• Potatoes with peas
• Whole grains, such as barley, quinoa, or oats
• Green vegetables, such as parsley, chard, or asparagus
• Roasted chocolate peanut butter

When it comes to copper, one might have too much of a good thing. By taking dietary supplements and eating a lot of foods high in copper, blood copper levels can be boosted. This might cause acute copper poisoning, which is also referred to as acquired copper toxicity, which is characterized by a rapid spike in blood copper levels. They can return to normal with the help of treatment.

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Can Copper Poisoning Result From an IUD?

Intrauterine devices, or IUDs, are T-shaped birth control implants that are inserted into your uterus to prevent pregnancy. These devices do this by using hormonal or inflammatory processes.

The ParaGard IUD's copper coils are intended to cause localized uterine inflammation. This causes uterine tissue to become irritated and thicken cervical mucus, which prevents sperm from fertilizing eggs.

There is no solid proof that using a copper IUD greatly raises your risk of getting copper poisoning in the blood unless you already have a medical condition that prevents your liver from absorbing copper.

However, there might be more adverse consequences from using a copper IUD.

Other Complications associated with copper IUDs:

An examination conducted in 1980A survey including 202 respondents did not find any proof that the use of copper IUDs enhanced the quantity of copper eliminated through urine.

An examination conducted in 2009 Having a copper IUD can result in 50% more blood loss during your period than not having one, according to a poll of nearly 2,000 people who had their first one. Among the potential drawbacks of this is anemia.

1996 case study of a copper IUD has been linked to serious signs of copper allergy, such as uterine tissue inflammation and fluid buildup in the vaginal tissues.

An IUD made of copper might cause the following reactions:

• Absence of menstrual flow
• Heavier or longer-than-normal periods
• Lower stomach pain 
• Cramps
• Pelvic inflammatory disease
• Symptoms, including pain during intercourse, and unusual vaginal discharge

If you have any of these symptoms or signs of copper poisoning after having a ParaGard copper IUD placed, please contact your doctor immediately. They are capable of diagnosing and treating any symptoms your body may be exhibiting related to the IUD.

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Which Symptoms Are Present In Copper Poisoning?

Copper poisoning symptoms that have been reported include:

• Headaches
• Fever
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Vomiting up blood
• Abdominal discomfort
• Black stools
• Your eyes may have brown patches that resemble rings called Kayser-Fleischer rings.
• Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)

Moreover, copper poisoning may cause the following psychological and behavioral symptoms:

• Feeling tense or disturbed
• Feeling preoccupied, anxious, or burdened experiencing unusually gloomy or depressed sudden mood changes

Chronic copper poisoning may be fatal or cause one of the following:

• Cardiac dysfunction 
• Damage or failure of the liver
• Renal diseases
• Brain damage

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How Can Copper Toxicity Be Diagnosed?

A blood copper level test is the most widely used technique for identifying copper toxicity. To do this, a medical practitioner extracts a sample by using a needle to draw blood into a vial, which they then send to a lab for analysis.

Further tests may also be recommended by your doctor, such as:

• Liver tissue samples (biopsies) to search for signs of issues with copper filtering
• Blood tests to measure vitamin B-12 or ceruloplasmin levels,
• Testing on urine to measure the quantity of copper being filtered out
• During a physical examination, if your doctor notices even slight indications of copper toxicity, they could recommend copper diagnostic tests.

You could also be tested if you went to the emergency room (ER) after suffering from severe symptoms brought on by ingesting too much copper at once.

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How Can Copper Poisoning Be Treated?

Treatments for acute and chronic copper toxicity include the following:

• Chelation. Intravenous medication administration is used for chelators. The medication links the copper ions in your blood together so that all of the copper in your blood may travel to your kidneys for filtration and ultimate excretion through urine.
• Lavage or "pumping the stomach". This method takes copper that you have eaten or drank right out of your stomach using a suction tube.
• Medicines. Certain medications can be used to treat copper toxicity, usually in conjunction with other forms of therapy. Cuprimine (penicillamine) and dimercaprol are two examples of oral drugs.
• Hemodialysis. This technique involves drawing blood from your body and filtering out waste materials using a machine that mimics your kidneys. After that, your body gets its blood back, filtered.

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