Articles: acrodynia-etiology.
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Pediatric dermatology · Mar 2012
Case ReportsAcrodynia and hypertension in a young girl secondary to elemental mercury toxicity acquired in the home.
Acrodynia, also known as pink disease, erythredema polyneuropathy, Feer syndrome, and raw-beef hands and feet, is thought to be a toxic reaction to elemental mercury and less commonly to organic and inorganic forms. Occurring commonly in the early 20th century, acrodynia is now a seemingly extinct disease in the modern world because of regulations to eliminate mercury from personal care products, household items, medications, and vaccinations. We present a case of a 3-year-old girl with acrodynia secondary to toxic exposure to elemental mercury in the home environment.
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A3-year-old boy presented to the Hospital for Sick Children with systemic symptoms and oropharyngeal and peripheral extremity changes suggestive of Kawasaki disease. He was found to have severe hypertension. ⋯ Toxins were considered when the patient's 20-month-old brother presented with similar symptoms, and the boys were subsequently diagnosed with elemental mercury poisoning. We review the literature on mercury intoxication and discuss the historical context, clinical syndrome (acrodynia), treatment, and radiologic findings of this unusual diagnosis.