Chronic exposure to elemental mercury can results in a disabling complications.
Organs primarily affected:
(1) neurologic
(2) gastrointestinal
(3) renal
Neurologic findings:
(1) tremors of lips and tongue
(2) coarse tremors of the hands and feet, with resting and intention tremor
(3) ataxia and reeling gait
(4) erethism
(5) hearing loss
(6) dysarthria, stammering speech
(7) distal sensory loss
(8) visual field impairment
Erethism ("stimulation"):
(1) irritability and excitability
(2) emotional instability
(3) anxiety and depression
(4) shyness and social withdrawal
(5) fatigue
(6) insomnia
(7) loss of memory
(8) lack of self-control
(9) drowsiness
(10) delirium with hallucinations
(11) psychosis
Gastrointestinal findings:
(1) gingivitis
(2) blue line on the gingiva
(3) excessive salivation
(4) metallic taste in the mouth
Renal findings:
(1) proteinuria
(2) chronic renal failure
Laboratory findings:
(1) increased 24 hour urine mercury excretion
Specialty: Toxicology, Emergency Medicine, Critical Care