Chronic mercury toxicity secondary to the use of inorganic, mercury-containing, skin-lightening
creams is often misdiagnosed, mainly due to its nonspecific symptoms.
1
Before a mercury toxicology workup was initiated, victims had been frequently seen
by physicians in various specialties under the suspicion of many other diseases.
2
Despite the law prohibiting the use of mercury in cosmetics beyond trace amounts,
mercury-containing creams are still widely available in this era of easy travel and
e-commerce.
3
We herein describe a patient with neuropathy and nephropathy secondary to mercury
poisoning, who made a full recovery following the initiation of chelation therapy
that was not in conjunction with corticosteroids.To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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References
- Nephrotic syndrome caused by exposures to skin-lightening cosmetic products containing inorganic mercury.Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2020; 58: 9-15
- Mercury toxicity presenting as chronic fatigue, memory impairment and depression: diagnosis, treatment, susceptibility, and outcomes in a New Zealand general practice setting (1994-2006).Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2006; 27: 415-423
- Spectrometric analysis of mercury content in 549 skin-lightening products: is mercury toxicity a hidden global health hazard?.J Am Acad Dermatol. 2014; 70: 281-287.e3
Article info
Publication history
Published online: November 07, 2022
Publication stage
In Press Journal Pre-ProofFootnotes
Funding: None.
Conflicts of Interest: None.
Authorship: All authors had access to the data and a role in writing this manuscript.
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
