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ArticleJournal of medical toxicology : official journal of the American College of Medical Toxicology2026

Acrodynia and CASPR2 Autoimmunity in Elemental Mercury Toxicity.

Sammy Taha, Alexander Sidlak, Meenu Krishnasamy, Megan Aidoo, Kelly Johnson-Arbor, Megan Bauer, Katharine Wallen, Alfredo Caceres

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Article in Journal of medical toxicology : official journal of the American College of Medical Toxicology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Sammy TahaMedical Toxicology Fellowship, Department of Emergency medicine, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
Alexander SidlakMedical Toxicology Fellowship, Department of Emergency medicine, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA. alex.sidlak@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2181-8250
Meenu KrishnasamyInova L.J Murphy Children's Hospital, Pediatric Hospital Medicine, Fairfax , VA, USA.
Megan AidooPediatric Emergency Department, Inova L.J Murphy Children's Hospital, VA, Fairfax , USA.
Kelly Johnson-ArborDepartment of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC, USA.
Megan BauerInova L.J Murphy Children's Hospital, Pediatric Hospital Medicine, Fairfax , VA, USA.
Katharine WallenInova L.J Murphy Children's Hospital, Pediatric Hospital Medicine, Fairfax , VA, USA.
Alfredo CaceresDepartment of Neurology, Inova L.J Murphy Children's Hospital, Fairfax , VA, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Elemental mercury exposure is associated with neurologic manifestations, which can improve after source removal with time. Autoimmune complications from mercury intoxication are rarely reported and may lead to worsening or persistent neurologic symptoms. A 2-year-old girl, in addition to her parents and sibling, developed cough and congestion initially attributed to a respiratory infection. For the next month, the child experienced intermittent episodes of sweating and increased fussiness, then later developed a pruritic erythematous rash to her distal extremities. She was hospitalized and, after toxicology testing revealed elevated whole blood (11 mcg/L) and urine mercury concentrations (79 mcg/g Cr), was treated with oral dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA). The source of mercury exposure was later identified as an accidental spill of elemental mercury that occurred in her residence weeks before the onset of her symptoms. Her family temporarily moved away from their residence while mercury remediation was initiated, but continued episodes of altered mental status necessitated hospital readmission. A lumbar puncture was performed, additional chelation with N-acetylcysteine was administered, and an autoimmune encephalitis panel was sent to a reference laboratory. The patient's repeat urine mercury concentration was undetectable, but she had still not returned to her baseline mental status. The autoimmune encephalitis panel was positive for contactin-associated protein 2 (CASPR2) IgG antibodies. After treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin, high-dose methylprednisolone, and oral prednisolone, her mental status gradually improved and returned to baseline over the next several weeks. CASPR2-IgG autoimmune encephalitis is a rare complication of elemental mercury intoxication, characterized by neuropsychiatric symptoms that persist despite traditional chelation treatment and systemic clearance of mercury. Treatment of affected patients may involve the administration of intravenous immunoglobulin and high-dose corticosteroids.

Indexed as

AcrodyniaAutoimmunityMembrane ProteinsMercuryMercury PoisoningMercury Poisoning, Nervous SystemNerve Tissue ProteinsAutoantibodiesChelating AgentsChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansSuccimerTreatment OutcomeAutoantibodiesChelating AgentsMembrane ProteinsMercuryNerve Tissue ProteinsSuccimerAutoimmunityCASPR2Elemental mercury

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.