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Abstract Details
Bodybuilding Supplements Leading to Copper Toxicity, Encephalopathy, Fulminant Hepatic Failure and Rhabdomyolysis
Emerg Med. 2020 Jun 2;S0735-6757(20)30460-5.doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2020.05.096. Online ahead of print.
John R Richards1, Pieter H Scheerlinck2, Kelly P Owen2, Daniel K Colby2
Author information
1Department of Emergency Medicine, United States of America. Electronic address: jrrichards@ucdavis.edu.
2Department of Emergency Medicine, United States of America; Division of Toxicology, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, United States of America.
Abstract
Millions of people worldwide use nutritional and dietary supplements, such as vitamins and minerals. These and other performance-enhancing substances are also used by high school, college, and professional athletes, bodybuilders, and amateur sports enthusiasts. The constituents of these supplements and their metabolites may be harmful and not listed on the product label. We present a case report of a 32-year-old bodybuilder using myriad nutritional, performance-enhancing, and weight-loss supplements with life-threatening encephalopathy, hepatic failure, rhabdomyolysis, and copper toxicity mimicking Wilson's disease. Emergency physicians and nurses should be aware of these potential deleterious effects and inquire about supplement use by patients with unexplained multiorgan failure. Family, friends, or acquaintances should be asked to bring the actual products to the hospital for analysis.