A Case of Lithium Intoxication with Periodic Sharp Waves

Lithium intoxication infrequently results in symptoms that closely resemble those of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), that is accompanied by periodic sharp waves on EEG. We present the case of a 77-year-old female patient with lithium intoxication and a rapid-onset coma and showing few abnormal neurological findings and periodic sharp waves on EEG. As far as we have surveyed, there have been no reported cases of lithium intoxication in which periodic sharp waves appeared without symptoms mimicking those of CJD. This is the first case in which periodic sharp waves appeared without lithium-induced symptoms mimicking those of CJD, and this case emphasizes the need to monitor the EEG findings during lithium therapy.

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