Acrodynia Mercury poisoning

If a pregnant woman is affected by mercury poisoning, the consequences may affect the child. As a result, the child may suffer from profound mental deficiency, atrophy of cerebral cortex, commisure and cerebellum neuron destruction. Acrodynia is a syndrome that affects children exposed to organic and inorganic mercury compounds. Symptoms include itchy, measles-like rash followed by desquamation of palm and foot skin, essential tachycardia, generalized swellings, hypertension and salivation (Harada, 1995). 

Foulds D, Copeland K, Franks R. 1987. Mercury poisoning and acrodynia. Am J Dis Children 141 124-125. 

Of the heavy metals, mercury has medical, socioeconomic, and environmental importance second only to lead. The most publicized cases of mercury poisoning have occurred in industrial settings. Table 10-1 lists the numerous occupations at risk for mercury exposure. By 1957, 80 industries used mercury for 3,000 purposes (Bidstrup 1964). The expression from Lewis Carroll s Alice in Wonderland, mad as a hatter, likely portrayed erethism, a condition caused by mercury poisoning of European and American hatters who used mercury to pack fur into watertight fabric. Acrodynia was another mercury-associated illness usually diagnosed in children taking mercury-based medications. 

Table 10-3 summarizes the psychiatric signs and symptoms attributed to mercury poisoning. Two syndromes appear frequently in case histories erethism in adults and acrodynia in children. The psychiatric components of erethism consist of irritability, excitability, timidity and excessive embarrassment, depression, and anxiety. Certain differences between acrodynia and erethism led some investigators to question mercury s role in acrodynia. Acrodynia in infants and children usually lacks the timidity and excessive embarrassment of the adult syndrome. Prominent features of acrodynia include the red, swollen, and cold extremities not usually seen in adult cases. In... 

A 3-year-old girl presented with hypertension and acrodynia without a known history cf exposure. Acrodynia was identified as a primary symptom, a 24-h urine mercury level can confirm the diagnosis. Chelation therapy successfully treated the patient s mercury intoxication. But it was also necessary to concurrently treat her hypertension and the pain associated with her acrodynia. There were no known risk factors for mercury poisoning in this case, may be ritual use of mercury is common in much cfthe United States 1194, 195 ]. 

---