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

Kisaarslan A. P., Sozeri B., Bastug F., Gunduz Z., Yel S., Nalcacioglu H., ...Daha Fazla

TURKISH JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS, cilt.61, sa.5, ss.786-790, 2019 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 61 Sayı: 5
  • Basım Tarihi: 2019
  • Doi Numarası: 10.24953/turkjped.2019.05.021
  • Dergi Adı: TURKISH JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM)
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.786-790
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: mercury, intoxication, pain, CHILDREN, EXPOSURE
  • Kocaeli Üniversitesi Adresli: Hayır

Özet

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic heavy metal that can be classified into three groups; organic (methyl), inorganic (mercuric), and elemental (metallic) mercury(Hg-0). 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.