A Child with elemental mercury poisoning and unusual brain MRI findings.
Mercury vapor poisoning is a serious and potentially fatal problem. Neurological manifestations involving the central nervous system are seen with chronic mercury intoxication. We present the case of a 10-year-old child who demonstrated acrodynia, seizures, and visual impairment following 20 days of exposure to elemental mercury at home. The initial blood mercury concentration was 27.7 microg/L (normal <2 microg/L) and the initial 24-hour urine mercury concentration was 34.4 microg/L (normal =10 microg/L). After 9 months of treatment with D-penicillamine, the patient's clinical condition, biochemical laboratory parameters, and mercury concentrations all returned to normal. The T2-weighted MRI images of the patient's brain initially showed multiple hyperintense lesions in cerebral white matter, left globus pallidus, and putamen, which also improved.
Abbaslou
Parvin
P
Pediatrics Department, Children Medical Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. parvin_abbaslou@yahoo.co.uk
Zaman
Talieh
T
D000170:Acrodynia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D000931:Antidotes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology*; D002614:Chelating Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D019570:Inhalation Exposure; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008630:Mercury Poisoning / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D010396:Penicillamine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology
D000931:Antidotes; D002614:Chelating Agents; D010396:Penicillamine