Methylmercury poisoning in Iraqi children: clinical observations

The clinical features of 49 children who had eaten bread contaminated with methylmercury in rural Iraq were reviewed. Symptoms and signs relating to the nervous system-varying degrees of ataxia, weakness, and visual and sensory changes-dominated the clinical picture. The severity of poisoning was related to the blood mercury concentration, as was the degree of recovery. Follow-up over two years showed that children who had had mild or moderate poisoning slowly but steadily improved, some of them recovering normal function, though all had a residual generalised hyperreflexia. In