Acrodynia: a case report of two siblings

Acrodynia, a rare disorder, is a form of chronic mercury poisoning.1 We report two siblings who developed the classic clinical picture of acrodynia. A 4½12 year old boy was admitted with dysuria, general weakness, and loss of appetite. He had hypertension (140/95 mm Hg) and tachycardia (141 beats/min). He was irritable and depressed, and had a diffuse itching papular rash with palmar erythema and superficial desquamation (fig 1). Initial evaluation revealed a normal complete blood count and a normal blood chemistry. Urine analysis and complement levels were normal. Vanillymandelic acid in a 24 hour urine collection was 22.2 μmol/day. Duplex scan of the renal arteries, …