acrodynia

[ak″ro-din´e-ah]

a disease of infancy and early childhood marked by pain and swelling in, and pink coloration of, the fingers and toes and by listlessness, irritability, failure to thrive, profuse perspiration, and sometimes scarlet coloration of the cheeks and tip of the nose. It is due to absorption of mercury. Called also erythredema polyneuropathy and pink disease.

ac·ro·dyn·i·a

(ak-rō-din'ē-ă),

1. Pain in peripheral or acral parts of the body.

2. A syndrome caused almost exclusively in the past by mercury poisoning: in children, characterized by erythema of the limbs, chest, and nose, gastrointestinal symptoms, behavioral changes, and polyneuritis; in adults, characterized by anorexia, photophobia, sweating, and tachycardia. Synonym(s): acrodynic erythema, dermatopolyneuritis, erythredema, Feer disease, pink disease

[acro- + G. odynē, pain]

Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

acrodynia

(1) Pink disease
A synonym of chronic mercury poisoning.
(2) A term of waning use for pain primarily centred around one or more distal parts—fingers, hands, toes, feet—for which the term “distal pain” is preferable.

ac·ro·dyn·i·a

(ak'rō-din'ē-ă)

1. Pain in peripheral or acral parts of the body.

2. A syndrome caused almost exclusively by mercury poisoning: in children, characterized by erythema of the extremities, chest, and nose, polyneuritis, and gastrointestinal symptoms; in adults, by anorexia, photophobia, sweating, and tachycardia.
Synonym(s): dermatopolyneuritis, erythredema, erythroedema, Feer disease, pink disease, polyneuropathy (3) , Swift disease.

[acro- + G. odynē, pain]

Medical Dictionary for the Health Professions and Nursing © Farlex 2012

acrodynia

Pink disease. A now rare, severe childhood illness formerly caused by mercury poisoning from teething powders. Acrodynia features pink, itching extremities, sweating, floppiness, loss of appetite, insomnia and low blood pressure. The disease was also caused by local applications of mercury-containing medication.

Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005

Feer,

Emil, Swiss pediatrician, 1864-1955.

Feer disease - pain in peripheral or acral parts of the body; caused almost exclusively by mercury poisoning in children. Synonym(s): acrodynia; pink disease; Swift disease

Selter,

Paul, German pediatrician, 1866-1941.

Selter disease - Synonym(s): acrodynia

Medical Eponyms © Farlex 2012

ac·ro·dyn·i·a

(ak'rō-din'ē-ă)

Pain in peripheral or acral body parts.
Synonym(s): Feer disease.

[acro- + G. odynē, pain]

Medical Dictionary for the Dental Professions © Farlex 2012

Patient discussion about acrodynia

Q. every alternate day i go through a swift mood change from a very high depression. I am facing some problem and I need help. Every alternate day I go through a swift mood change from a very high depression on one day to a high happiness on the other day. It remains constant for couple of days and then again my mood swings either to a high depression or to a good level happiness. When in happy mood I feel on top. When I feel very depressed I start harming myself and it goes to the extent to bang my head on the wall. Many times I will cry so much that the very next day my eyes burns with irritation and pain. Is all this normal? I think I am getting bipolar.

A. I would suggest going to your doctor and asking to speak to someone. Perhaps start with a theropist so you will have someone to talk to and can teach you to manage your stress. If you are experiencing bipolar episodes the theropist may be able to recognize the symptoms and suggest you see a psychiatrist as well. Try not to self diagnose yourself, tell your doctor that you have been having some hard times and would like someone to talk to and go from there. I wish you well.

More discussions about acrodynia

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References in periodicals archive

If mercury really posed a problem, there would be many reports of acrodynia, says Charles Soberman, president of the Mercury Paint Company.

is completing a report to inform doctors of the potential danger of mercury in paint and of the symptoms of acrodynia. And the Detroit-area boy, home after five months in the hospital, is learning how to walk again.

Toxic paint job: how mercury slid by the E.P.A

Neurological symptoms and clinical signs experienced by the female were irritability, social withdrawal, emotional lability, tremor, rash, anorexia, paresthesias, and acrodynia. Some neuropsychological deficits persisted one year following treatment.

Acrodynia: Exposure of mercury from fluorescent light bulbs.

Inorganic: the other mercury

In Illinois, public health surveillance did not identify any cases of acrodynia or clinically overt mercury poisoning (manifested by erethism, tremor, and gingivitis) as a result of these exposures.

Residential mercury spills from gas regulators

This was evident in acrodynia, a debilitating and sometimes deadly condition of infants and children.

Cutaneous manifestations of Acrodynia (pink disease).

Methyl mercury reference dose: response to Schoen

In children, metallic mercury can cause acrodynia, a syndrome characterized by swelling and erythema of the hands and feet, with bright pink peeling skin, especially on the tips of the fingers and toes (5).

* Latex paint containing a mercury fungicide; pediatric exposure to such paint has been reported to cause acrodynia (11)

A Cluster of Pediatric Metallic Mercury Exposure Cases Treated with meso-2,3-Dimercaptosuccinic Acid (DMSA)

On November 22, 1989, a 15-year-old male who had been hospitalized in Columbus, Ohio, was diagnosed with acrodynia, a form of mercury poisoning.

When analysis of a 24-hour urine collection detected a mercury level of 840 [microgram]/L (reference: <20 [microgram]/L [1]), acrodynia was diagnosed.

Elemental mercury poisoning in a household - Ohio, 1989

In August 1989, a previously healthy 4-year-old boy in Michigan was diagnosed with acrodynia, a rare manifestation of childhood mercury poisoning.

Mercury exposure from interior latex paint - Michigan