Mercury poisoning case histories

Gerstner, H.B., Huff, J.E. (1977). Selected case histories and epidemiologic examples of human mercury poisoning. Clin. Toxicol. 11 131-50. 

There is a data need to develop better chelation therapies, better ways to prevent absorption of mercury into the body of children, and better ways to interfere with the mechanism of action, especially for damage to the nervous system. The current literature continues to grow with case histories of poisonings where supportive therapy and passive observation of a progressively deteriorating health status are the best that can be done. 

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... 

The third episode of mercury poisoning during gestation was reported from Russia where women had eaten grain treated with methylmercury (Bakulina, 1968). No detailed case histories were given in the report, however, severe mental retardation was seen in three cases and decreased birth weight and reduced muscle tone in a few others. 

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 ]. 

Metal compounds, particularly compounds of the heavy metals, have a history of importance as antimicrobial agents. Because of regulations regarding economic poisons in the environment they are no longer widely used in this appHcation. Mercury, lead, cadmium, uranium, and other metals have been imphcated in cases of poisoning that resulted in government response. The metals whose compounds have been of primary interest as antimicrobials are mercury, silver, and copper. 

Keratin is a natural single-strand polymer consisting of chains of amino acids, with a high proportion of the two sulfur-containing amino acids cysteine and methionine. Keratin is the polymer of hair and nails. The sulfur atoms account for keratin s ability to bond to arsenic, mercury, and lead. Hair analysis has played an important role in forensic evidence in cases of poisoning, and it has been possible to diagnose the extent to which famous people in history were affected by these toxic elements provided a sample of their hair has been preserved. 

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