Mercury chronic toxicity might be associated to some cases of hydrocephalus in adult humans?

[hydrocephalus with stenosis of the aqueduct of sylvius]

Mercury accumulates in nervous tissue causing neurological and psychiatric manifestations . Numerous clinical findings have been described in patients that suffered chronic mercury intoxication . Some findings , such as hydrocephalus , have been described only in experimental studies . Following , we present a case of 50 year -old man with a 3 -month history of severe frontal headache episodes and vision loss together with a history of asthenia , anorexia , muscle pain , fatigue and neuropsychiatric symptoms . The magnetic resonance imaging showed hydrocephalus and stenosis of aqueduct of Sylvius . This patient reported that he worked as laboratory metallurgic auxiliary for over 30 years . During this time , he had been chronically exposed to elemental mercury . The metals whole blood test was normal , except by his blood mercury level that was 61 .5 μg /L (normal ~1 μg /L ). In our best knowledge , hydrocephalus and stenosis of aqueduct of Sylvius have been described only in animals exposed to methylmercury during their gestation . We think that this case of hydrocephalus might be associated with the chronic mercury exposure and therefore this etiology must be taken in account in a patient with hydrocephalus of unknown etiology .