Doctors have warned of the dangers of "complementary" medicines after a 4-year-old boy was admitted to A&E for calcium poisoning from taking supplements recommended by a naturopath.
According to an article in the journal BMJ Case Reports, the boy arrived at a London hospital suffering from acute vomiting, weight loss, and loss of appetite. He was also peeing and drinking much more than is normal. He was previously healthy except for a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD).
Tests found that his blood calcium level was 4.08 millimoles per litre (mmol/L), the standard measure of concentration. The normal range is between 2.2 and 2.6mmol/L. Often, this "hypercalcaemia" is a symptom of an underlying disease, such as a tumour or a thyroid problem, but doctors couldn't find any.
After several days, the boy's mother said he had been taking regular health supplements, prescribed by a naturopath – a kind of alternative medicine practitioner. The supplements included vitamin D, calcium magnesium citrate, cod liver oil, and camel milk – all of which contain calcium – among several other substances.
The parents, according to the report, were "devastated that
something they had given to their son with good intent had made him so unwell".
Parents often give children complementary and alternative medicines (CAM), the report says, out of "fear of side effects with conventional medicine". It's especially common among children with ASD, whose parents are often dissatisfied with the care the children receive – one small study in the US found that 74% of children with ASD took some kind of CAM.
The report adds that patients often fail to disclose "natural" supplements like these, because they see them "as safer ‘natural’ options" and don't think it's relevant. However, they are sometimes dangerous – an Australian study found 39 cases of patients being harmed in three years, including four deaths, linked to treatment with CAM. Sixteen of those cases were not due to the treatment itself but came because the patient used CAM instead of conventional medicine.
The Case Reports article concludes: "There is a general belief that complementary therapies are ‘natural’ and therefore cannot cause harm, but there are many reported cases of complications, including fatalities, and probably many others which are not reported to medical practitioners or recognised as being attributable to CAM."
The boy was treated with fluids, as well as drugs to bring down his blood calcium levels, and made a full recovery.
The police are apparently investigating the naturopath who prescribed the remedies.
Jane Harris, the director of external affairs at the National Autistic Society, said in a statement: “It can be hard for individuals and their families to find good, reliable information about autism. This leaves many families feeling vulnerable and in desperation some may consider using unproven, and potentially harmful, alternative therapies.
“This awful case shows we need more professionals in place to give families accurate advice and talk to them about what really helps and how to find the right support.
“It’s crucial that doctors and healthcare professionals take the concerns of families seriously and are able to talk through the potential risks of alternative therapies, even when they might seem harmless.”