Bilateral basal ganglia lesions can include a wide variety of etiologies, including metabolic, toxic, degenerative, vascular, inflammatory, infectious, and neoplastic etiology. We present a case of a 78-year-old man who was hospitalized with acute behavioral changes and psychomotor slowing. His medical history included diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, and prostate adenocarcinoma. In his spare time, he was a pigeon fancier and regularly burned waste (including diapers) outside his home. In the initial evaluation, he was hypertensive, drowsy, disoriented in time and space, dysarthric, and with global bradykinesia. From the research carried out, we stand out the following: brain magnetic resonance imaging showing bilateral hyperintensity of the basal ganglia on T2/fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, with foci of hypersignal on T1 without diffusion restriction or contrast enhancement; CSF presenting 15 cells/uL, without other alterations; analytical results presenting hypernatremia (171 mEq/L), creatinine at 3.5 mg/dL, hyperglycemia (always <300 mg/dL), and slightly elevated C-reactive protein and anticardiolipin antibodies in addition to thrombocytopenia (107,000). After correcting the metabolic disturbances and evading the identified toxic substances, magnetic resonance imaging showed regression of the lesions, and the patient returned to a normal state. The functions of the basal ganglia are complex, requiring increased use of glucose and oxygen, therefore presenting a high metabolic activity, which makes them vulnerable to various metabolic changes. We report a rare case affected by symmetrical lesions in the basal ganglia and presenting an acute onset of altered mental status with behavioral alterations, related to hyperglycemia, acute kidney injury, hypertension, and exposure to toxic substances (smoke from bonfires and/or toxic chemical components). Complete clinical recovery, remaining negative investigation, and regression of the lesions support our diagnosis.
Keywords: acute confusional state; basal ganglia disease; diabetes mellitus type 2; hyperintense basal ganglia; toxic exposures.
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