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Mercury Intoxication: Lack of Correlation Between Symptoms and Levels
Jyothsna Gattineni
Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas
Susan Weiser
Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas
Amy M. Becker
Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas
Michel Baum
Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, Michel.Baum{at}UTSouthwestern.edu
The incidence of mercury intoxication has decreased considerably because of stricter public health regulations. However, it has not been completely eliminated and should be considered in a child with unexplained tachycardia, hypertension, mood changes, weight loss, and acrodynia. Mercury intoxication can be difficult to differentiate from pheochromocytoma and Kawasaki's disease. Here, the authors report the case of an 8-year-old boy with history of mercury exposure, signs and symptoms suggestive of mercury intoxication, and good response to chelation therapy, but with only mild increase in urinary mercury levels. This case highlights the fact that urinary mercury levels do not necessarily correlate with the severity of clinical signs and symptoms of mercury intoxication.
Key Words: acrodynia • hypertension • catecholamines • elemental mercury
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This version was published on December
1, 2007
Clinical Pediatrics, Vol. 46, No. 9,
844-846 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0009922807303893
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