-
Southern Medical Journal Oct 1997A 39-year-old man injected 40 mL of elemental mercury in an attempted suicide 3 years before coming to our facility. No specific treatment regimen had been done since...
A 39-year-old man injected 40 mL of elemental mercury in an attempted suicide 3 years before coming to our facility. No specific treatment regimen had been done since then. Chest x-ray films showed mercury deposits in the lungs, as well as around the injection site. The mercury concentration in his blood was at 96.3 micrograms (0.480 nmol/L), thus significantly elevated (given a reference range of up to 2 micrograms Hg/L), as was the renal mercury elimination. Despite mercurial deposits within the pulmonary circulation, the pulmonary function showed normal values, with no reduction of the diffusion capacity. There were signs of polyneuropathy. The patient was given sodium dimercaptopropanesulfate (Dimaval) for mercury complexation. This case report outlines the diagnosis and therapy for mercurial poisoning through metallic mercury.
Topics: Adult; Antidotes; Chelating Agents; Humans; Male; Mercury Poisoning; Suicide, Attempted; Unithiol
PubMed: 9347816
DOI: 10.1097/00007611-199710000-00012 -
Inhalation Toxicology Aug 2012Acute mercury vapor poisoning is a rare but fatal toxicological emergency. People are exposed to mercury in daily life by the way of foods, vaccines, antiseptics,...
Acute mercury vapor poisoning is a rare but fatal toxicological emergency. People are exposed to mercury in daily life by the way of foods, vaccines, antiseptics, ointments, amalgam or occupation. We present here, the clinical picture and management of four members of the same family who were exposed to elemental mercury. Three of the family members were seen in another hospital with malaise, fever, eritematous rash and pulmonary problems. Their questioning revealed the mercury exposure. Having a suspicion of heavy metal intoxication, blood and urine mercury levels were measured and mercury intoxication was diagnosed. On admission to our hospital, two patients already had chelation therapy. In three of them we found three distinct abnormalities: encephalopathy, nephrotic syndrome and polyneuropathy. The fourth family member had minor symptoms. This family is an example for the inhalation exposure resulting from inappropriate handling of liquid mercury. During the first days, flu like illness ensues. Then, severe pulmonary, neurological, renal, hepatic, hematological and dermatological dysfunctions develop. Blood and urine mercury levels should be tested on suspicion, but it must be kept in mind that blood level is unreliable in predicting the severity of mercury toxicity. The priority in the treatment should be removing the patient from the source of exposure. Then British anti-Lewisite, edetate calcium disodium, penicillamine, Sodium 2,3-dimercaptopropane-1-sulfhonate and 2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid can be used for binding the mercury. We conclude that since mercury-containing devices are present in daily life, physicians must be able to recognize the clinical manifestations and treatment of mercury poisoning.
Topics: Accidents, Home; Adult; Chelation Therapy; Disease Progression; Exanthema; Family Health; Female; Fever; Flushing; Humans; Inhalation Exposure; Male; Mercury; Mercury Poisoning; Middle Aged; Severity of Illness Index; Treatment Outcome; Turkey; Young Adult
PubMed: 22906171
DOI: 10.3109/08958378.2012.708677 -
Journal of Child Neurology May 2015Mercury poisoning is a rare but fatal toxicologic emergency. Neurologic manifestations involving the central nervous system are seen usually with chronic mercury...
Mercury poisoning is a rare but fatal toxicologic emergency. Neurologic manifestations involving the central nervous system are seen usually with chronic mercury intoxication. The most commonly seen complaints are headache, tremor, impaired cognitive skills, weakness, muscle atrophy, and paresthesia. Here, we present a male patient who was chronically exposed to elemental mercury and had papilledema and intracranial hypertension without parenchymal lesion in the central nervous system. A 12-year-old male patient was referred to our emergency room because of severe fatigue, generalized muscle pain and weakness, which was present for a month. Physical examination revealed painful extremities, decreased motor strength and the lack of deep tendon reflexes in lower extremities. He had mixed type polyneuropathy in his electromyography. Whole blood and 24-hour urinary mercury concentrations were high. A chelation therapy with succimer (dimercaptosuccinic acid) was started on the fourth day of his admission. On the seventh day of his admission, he developed headache and nausea, and bilateral papilledema and intracranial hypertension were detected on physical examination. Acetazolamide was started and after 1 month of treatment, the fundi examination was normal. The patient stayed in the hospital for 35 days and was then discharged with acetazolamide, vitamin B6, gabapentin, and followed as an outpatient. His clinical findings were relieving day by day. Although headache is the most common symptom in mercury poisoning, the clinician should evaluate the fundus in terms of intracranial hypertension.
Topics: Acetazolamide; Chelation Therapy; Child; Community Mental Health Services; Humans; Intracranial Hypertension; Male; Mercury Poisoning; Papilledema
PubMed: 25122110
DOI: 10.1177/0883073814538503 -
The Western Journal of Medicine Apr 1992
Topics: Humans; Mercury; Mercury Poisoning; Occupational Diseases
PubMed: 1574888
DOI: No ID Found -
The New England Journal of Medicine Jul 1971
Topics: Adult; Chronic Disease; Copper; Environmental Exposure; Feces; Humans; Male; Mercury; Mercury Poisoning; Movement Disorders; Neurologic Manifestations; Occupational Diseases; Organometallic Compounds; Penicillamine; Pneumoencephalography; Zinc
PubMed: 5089366
DOI: 10.1056/NEJM197107012850102 -
American Journal of Diseases of... Feb 1987
Topics: Acrodynia; Female; Humans; Infant; Mercury Poisoning
PubMed: 3812370
DOI: 10.1001/archpedi.1987.04460020014006 -
Clinica Chimica Acta; International... Feb 2017We investigated the clinical characteristics of a 3-month-old infant with acute mercury vapor poisoning. Clinical symptoms of acute mercury poisoning in infants include...
BACKGROUND
We investigated the clinical characteristics of a 3-month-old infant with acute mercury vapor poisoning. Clinical symptoms of acute mercury poisoning in infants include acute onset, rapid progression, severe illness with respiratory symptoms that may result in pneumothoraces and aspiration pneumonias.
CASE PRESENTATION
A 3-month-old girl presented with pneumothoraces and respiratory failure to the hospital. Two days before hospitalization, the girl had stayed in a room containing mercury vapor for several hours. She was hospitalized for acute mercury poisoning. We used sodium dimercaptosulphonate (DMPS) for treatment.
CONCLUSION
Pulmonary disease was mainly induced by the inhalation of mercury vapor. The disease was characterized by acute respiratory distress, pneumothorax and acute chemical pneumonitis. It responded to chelation therapy with the agent DMPS.
Topics: Chelating Agents; Female; Humans; Infant; Mercury; Mercury Poisoning; Unithiol
PubMed: 28027882
DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2016.12.019 -
British Journal of Industrial Medicine Feb 1993
Topics: History, 20th Century; Humans; Mercury Poisoning
PubMed: 8435354
DOI: 10.1136/oem.50.2.97-a -
BMJ Case Reports Dec 2015
Topics: Adult; Female; Gastrointestinal Tract; Humans; Kidney; Lung; Mercury; Mercury Poisoning; Nephrotic Syndrome; Pulmonary Embolism
PubMed: 26701994
DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2015-213255 -
The International Journal of... Apr 2016Occupational exposure to elemental mercury vapor usually occurs through inhalation during its utilizations. This leads to a variety of adverse health effects. In some...
Occupational exposure to elemental mercury vapor usually occurs through inhalation during its utilizations. This leads to a variety of adverse health effects. In some Islamic cities, this type of poisoning may occur during gilding of shrines using elemental mercury with gold. Herein, we report on three male patients aged 20-53 years, who were diagnosed with occupational metallic mercury poisoning due to gilding of a shrine. All patients presented with neuro-psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, loss of memory and concentration, and sleep disorders with high urinary mercury concentrations of 326-760 μg/L upon referring, 3-10 days after cessation of elemental mercury exposure. Following chelating therapy, the patients recovered clinically and their mercury concentrations declined to non-toxic level (<25 μg/L). Health, environmental and labor authorities, as well as the gilders should be aware of the toxicity risk of exposure to metalic mercury during gilding in closed environments and act accordingly.
Topics: Adult; Chelating Agents; Construction Industry; Humans; Inhalation Exposure; Male; Mercury; Mercury Poisoning; Middle Aged; Occupational Exposure; Young Adult
PubMed: 27112720
DOI: 10.15171/ijoem.2016.776