title: A whitened face woman with nephrotic syndrome.
abstract: Skin whitening cream from developing countries is a recognized source of chronic mercury poisoning. The authors report on a 34-year-old Indonesian domestic helper who presented with nephrotic syndrome secondary to membranous nephropathy. It was subsequently found that she used a skin whitening cream regularly that was found to contain a mercury level of almost 2,000 times above the allowable limit. Her blood and urinary mercury levels were both grossly elevated. Her symptoms improved after she stopped using the cream. However, she returned to her home country before chelating therapy could be arranged. Because mercury-containing skin products are still widely available in developing countries, the use of these products should be considered a possible cause of membranous nephropathy in immigrants from those countries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Yannie Oi-Yan
authors.initials: YO
authors.lastname: Soo
authors.forename: Kai-Ming
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: Christopher Wai-Kei
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Fernand Mac-Moune
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Cheuk-Chun
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Szeto
authors.forename: Michael Ho-Ming
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Philip Kam-Tao
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000842:Ankle; D003358:Cosmetics / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000737:chemistry; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D004487:Edema / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000652:urine; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D015433:Glomerulonephritis, Membranous / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000150:complications / Q000652:urine; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008628:Mercury / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D008630:Mercury Poisoning / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000652:urine; D009404:Nephrotic Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D003358:Cosmetics; D008628:Mercury