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Query: UMLS:C0034063 (pulmonary edema)
 10,665 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Accidental acute mercury vapor poisoning in three persons is reported. Three hours after exposure, symptomatology began by chills, vomiting, diarrhea and chest pain. Two patients, respectively 67 and 77 year old, presented severe pulmonary edema, then neurological symptoms with tremor and coma. This toxic pulmonary edema, which entailed artificial ventilation, was followed in both cases by an acute interstitial pulmonary fibrosis which led to death respectively after six and sixteen days. In the third case (a thirty eight year old patient) a skin rash, erythematous and pustuliform was observed. Analysis for total mercury by flameless atomic absorption showed very high mercury levels in blood and urine of the three patients. The effect of treatment by Dimercaptopropanol on renal excretion of mercury was studied. Optic and electron microscopy of the lung of the two patients who died showed the pulmonary changes of acute interstitial fibrosis.
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PMID:Accidental acute mercury vapor poisoning. 50 88

The type of lung disease caused by metal compounds depends on the nature of the offending agent, its physicochemical form, the dose, exposure conditions and host factors. The fumes or gaseous forms of several metals, e.g. cadmium (Cd), manganese (Mn), mercury (Hg), nickel carbonyl (Nl(CO)4, zinc chloride (ZnCl2), vanadium pentoxide (V2O5), may lead to acute chemical pneumonitis and pulmonary oedema or to acute tracheobronchitis. Metal fume fever, which may follow the inhalation of metal fumes e.g. zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and many others, is a poorly understood influenza-like reaction, accompanied by an acute self-limiting neutrophil alveolitis. Chronic obstructive lung disease may result from occupational exposure to mineral dusts, including probably some metallic dusts, or from jobs involving the working of metal compounds, such as welding. Exposure to cadmium may lead to emphysema. Bronchial asthma may be caused by complex platinum salts, nickel, chromium or cobalt, presumably on the basis of allergic sensitization. The cause of asthma in aluminium workers is unknown. It is remarkable that asthma induced by nickel (Ni) or chromium (Cr) is apparently infrequent, considering their potency and frequent involvement as dermal sensitizers. Metallic dusts deposited in the lung may give rise to pulmonary fibrosis and functional impairment, depending on the fibrogenic potential of the agent and on poorly understood host factors. Inhalation of iron compounds causes siderosis, a pneumoconiosis with little or no fibrosis. Hard metal lung disease is a fibrosis characterized by desquamative and giant cell interstitial pneumonitis and is probably caused by cobalt, since a similar disease has been observed in workers exposed to cobalt in the absence of tungsten carbide. Chronic beryllium disease is a fibrosis with sarcoid-like epitheloid granulomas and is presumably due to a cell-mediated immune response to beryllium. Such a mechanism may be responsible for the pulmonary fibrosis occasionally found in subjects exposed to other metals e.g. aluminium (Al), titanium (Ti), rare earths. The proportion of lung cancer attributable to occupation is around 15%, with exposure to metals being frequently incriminated. Underground mining of e.g. uranium or iron is associated with a high incidence of lung cancer, as a result of exposure to radon. At least some forms of arsenic, chromium and nickel are well established lung carcinogens in humans. There is also evidence for increased lung cancer mortality in cadmium workers and in iron or steel workers.
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PMID:Metal toxicity and the respiratory tract. 217 66

Two characteristics, volatility and biotransformation, make mercury somewhat unique as environmental toxicant, and make mercury poisoning as one of occupational diseases in the industry. Acute mercury vapor poisoning is a rare event. It often occurs during industrial accident or ignorant experiment. We report a case, a 28-year-old male waterworks technician, who developed dyspnea, cough, chest pain, metallic taste and ache in the whole body three hours after heating approximately 30 ml of liquid mercury during an experiment. Diarrhea with tarry stool occurred the next day. Chest roentgenogram revealed diffuse pulmonary infiltrates similar to pulmonary edema in both lungs, and was complicated by pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema later. The concentration of mercury in the plasma was over the toxic level. The urinary excretion of mercury greatly exceeded normal value. During hospitalization, the patient's liver and renal function tests were both normal. He was treated with penicillamine, 300 mg every six hours orally for 10 days in addition to a support treatment and oxygen therapy. He was discharged on the 15th hospital day with partial resolution of pulmonary infiltrates and was free of symptom.
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PMID:[Acute pneumonitis caused by inhalation of mercury vapor--report of a case]. 276 70

Between 1975 and 1982 a total of 47 cases of high-altitude pulmonary edema occurred in Vail, Colorado, elevation 2,500 m (8,200 ft). All occurred in visitors from lower altitudes. The mean age of the patients was 35.6 years, and 93% were men. Most patients had tachycardia, tachypnea and fever. The mean time of onset of cough and shortness of breath was 2.5 days after arrival. The average total ascent of the patients was 2,330 m (7,644 ft) in less than one day from a mean residential elevation of 170 m (556 ft). Also, 91% of the cases occurred between December and April, when the average daily temperature was -4.3 degrees C (24.3 degrees F) and the ambient barometric pressure was 22.37 in of mercury.
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PMID:High-altitude pulmonary edema in Vail, Colorado, 1975-1982. 371 17

Seven cases of acute intoxications by inhalation of metallic vapors are reported. The metals involved were zinc in three cases, tin in one case and mercury in three cases. The severity of the respiratory symptoms was dependent from the inhalated metal. The inhalation of zinc or tin vapors produced an acute limited pneumonitis. A lesional pulmonary oedema and acute interstitial fibrosis with lethal outcome was observed in two cases of intoxication by mercury vapors. The treatment by dimercaptopropanol used in mercury intoxications, increased urinary mercury excretion, but did not improve the pulmonary symptoms.
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PMID:[Acute poisoning by inhalation of metallic vapors]. 667 9

Hyskon (32 percent dextran-70) (Hyskon Division, Pharmacia) is used during hysteroscopy to help visualization of the uterine surfaces. Pulmonary edema of an uncertain cause has occurred in many patients. Because this study could not be conducted in humans, we determined if Hyskon caused cardiogenic or non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema in a dog model. Dogs were randomly assigned to receive an infusion of Hyskon or whole blood to sustain left ventricular end-diastolic pressure between 20 and 23 millimeters of mercury for 60 minutes. In dogs receiving blood, there was no protein in the bronchoalveolar lavage before or after blood was given. In the Hyskon group, there was no protein in the bronchoalveolar lavage before Hyskon and 0.6 +/- 1.4 milligrams per deciliter (range of 0.1 to 3.7 milligram per deciliter) after Hyskon. The ratio of bronchoalveolar lavage protein to plasma protein after Hyskon was 8.0 +/- 18.0 percent compared with zero percent in the blood group. Hyskon altered pulmonary microvascular membrane permeability, causing alveolar flooding with plasma proteins and possibly accounting for the deterioration of oxygenation and pulmonary compliance seen in patients. These results suggest a significant noncardiogenic component of Hyskon induced pulmonary edema.
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PMID:Hyskon-induced pulmonary edema. 750 87

Ozone is a naturally occurring gas, formed in the trimolecular reaction of oxygen atoms with molecular oxygen. Its strong absorption in the UV region provides protection from excessive irradiation of the Earth's surface. Occupational exposure to ozone involves electric arc welding, mercury vapour lamps, office photocopy machines, X-ray generators and other high voltage electrical equipment, water purification and bleaching. Ozone is the most abundant oxidant in the photochemical smog. The lung cell injury induced by ozone involves a complex biochemical mechanism which is due to free radical generation. Moderate exposure produces upper respiratory tract symptoms and eye irritation, severe acute exposure results in pulmonary oedema. Measurements of atmospheric ozone concentrations in Croatia began at the end of the 19th century; continuous monitoring has been carried out since 1975.
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PMID:[Man, the environment and ozone]. 776 88

Medical records of 150 patients with high-altitude pulmonary edema seen over a 39-month period in a Colorado Rocky Mountain ski area at 2,928 m (9,600 ft) (mean age 34.4 years; 84% male) were reviewed. The mean time to the onset of symptoms was 3 +/- 1.3 days after arrival. Common symptoms were dyspnea, cough, headache, chest congestion, nausea, fever, and weakness. Orthopnea, hemoptysis, and vomiting were rare, occurring in 7%, 6%, and 16%, respectively. Symptoms of cerebral edema occurred in 14%. A temperature exceeding 100 degrees F occurred in 20%, and 17% had a systolic blood pressure of 150 mm of mercury or higher. Blood pressures were higher in patients older than 50 years (142 mm of mercury). Rales were present in 85%, and a pulmonary infiltrate was present in 88%; both were most commonly bilateral or on the right side. The amount of infiltrate was mild. Men appeared to be more susceptible than women to high-altitude pulmonary edema. Pulse oximetry in 45 patients showed a mean oxygen saturation of 74% (38% to 93%). Treatment methods depended on severity and included a return to quarters for portable nasal oxygen, an overnight stay in the clinic for continuing oxygen, or a descent to Denver for recovery or admission to a hospital. All patients received oxygen for 2 to 4 hours in the clinic. There were no deaths or complications.
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PMID:High-altitude pulmonary edema at a ski resort. 877 33