Pink’s disease is due to toxicity of:
Correct Answer: Mercury
Description: ACRODYNIA (Pink disease, Swift's disease)
Cause of the disease has been established as a mercurial toxicity reaction, either actual mercury poisoning or more likely, an idiosyncrasy to the metal.
The source of the mercury is usually a teething powder, ammoniated mercury ointment, calomel lotion, or bichloride of mercury disinfectant.
Occurs most frequently in young infants before the age of two years, although children are occasionally affected upto the age of five or six years.
The skin, particularly of the hands, feet, nose, ears and cheeks becomes red or pink and has a cold "clammy feeling".
The appearance has been described as resembling raw beef.
The skin over the affected areas peels frequently.
Severe sweating is an almost constant feature of acrodynia.
Other features are a state of extreme irritability, photophobia with lacrimation, muscular weakness, tachycardia, hypertension, insomnia, gastrointestinal upset and stomatitis.
The children will frequently tear their hair out in patches.
Ref: Shafer's textbook of oral pathology 7th edition page 559
Category:
Pathology
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