Mercury poisoning
Mercury poisoning is a health disturbance caused by high levels of exposure to mercury.
| Mercury poisoning | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Mercury toxicity, mercury overdose, mercury intoxication, hydrargyria, mercurialism |
 | |
| The bulb of a mercury-in-glass thermometer | |
| Medical specialty | Toxicology |
| Symptoms | Muscle weakness, poor coordination, numbness in the hands and feet[1] |
| Complications | Kidney problems, decreased intelligence[2] |
| Causes | Exposure to mercury[1] |
| Risk factors | Consumption of fish, which may contain mercury[3] |
| Diagnostic method | Difficult[3] |
| Prevention | Decreasing use of mercury, low mercury diet[4] |
| Medication | Acute poisoning: dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), dimercaptopropane sulfonate (DMPS)[5] |
Symptoms of mercury poisoning include pink colour in the cheeks, fingertips, and toes, swelling, unexplainable sweating, lots of saliva, fast heartbeat (tachycardia), high blood pressure (hypertension) and hair loss for some people. Mercury exposure happens most often through eating certain types of fish or via other ways.
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