[Clinical, anatomical and biophysical data on a case of encephalopathy with aluminum deposits]

Abstract

A man presented at 27 years of age, the first signs of a progressive neurological and mental deterioration which eventually lead to his death at 37, from an intercurrent pulmonary infection. He was a severe alcoholic. The pathological examination of the brain revealed patchy demyelination and deposits of crystalline material, resembling so called calcifications. The biophysical examination showed the presence in the brain and other organs, of aluminum and phosphorus in all deposits, sometimes associated with iron, sulfur and calcium. Nothing in his past history suggests any contact with aluminum. Presumably this is a case of "generalized aluminosis", with the main clinical and pathological features manifesting in the central nervous system.