Elemental mercury intoxication in 7 patients admitted to a pediatric rheumatology clinic

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic heavy metal that can be classified into three groups; organic (methyl), inorganic (mercuric), and elemental (metallic) mercury(Hg0). Mercury intoxication occurs mostly with the elemental form which can potentially damage the function of any organ, or any subcellular structur...

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Main Authors: Ayşenur Paç Kısaarslan, Hakan Poyrazoğlu, Sümeyra Özdemir Çiçek, Nihal Şahin, Hülya Nalçacıoğlu, Sibel Yel, Zübeyde Gündüz, Funda Baştuğ, Betül Sözeri, Ruhan Düşünsel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Hacettepe University Institute of Child Health 2019-10-01
Series:The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics
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Online Access:https://turkjpediatr.org/article/view/770
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Summary:Mercury (Hg) is a toxic heavy metal that can be classified into three groups; organic (methyl), inorganic (mercuric), and elemental (metallic) mercury(Hg0). Mercury intoxication occurs mostly with the elemental form which can potentially damage the function of any organ, or any subcellular structure. The target organ of mercury is the brain, but peripheral nerve function, renal function, immune function, endocrine and muscle function, and several types of dermatitis have been described. We present 7 patients admitted to a pediatric rheumatology clinic with severe extremity pain. One of the patients had acrodynia, two of them had hypertension, two of them had tubulopathy, and three of them had neuropathy. The treatments were Dimercaptosuccinic acid and metalcaptase. In this report, we emphasize that mercury intoxication should be kept in mind with unexplained extremity pain. Timely diagnosis and treatment may prevent severe morbidity and mortality.
ISSN:0041-4301
2791-6421