0121-0793 0121-0793 S0121-07932008000500013 Colombia 00 03 2008 00 03 2008 21 s14 s15 Chelating capacity and the adverse effects of two treatments (N­acetylcysteine and D­penicillamine) in patients with mercury poisoning in Segovia, a municipality at the northeastern part of Antioquia, Colombia

 

Claudia Lucía Arroyave1, Carlos Federico Molina Castaño1, Ana María Suárez1, Natalia Maldonado1, Fanny Cuesta González1

  1. Departament of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
    Telefax: (574) 210 60 20. fannycuesta@quimbaya.udea.edu.co

 

OBJECTIVE: to compare the chelating capacity and the adverse effects of treatments with either Nacetylcysteine or D­penicillamine in patients with mercury poisoning in Segovia, a municipality at the northeastern part of Antioquia, Colombia.

METHODS: 50 patients with toxic levels of mercury were enrolled in a 10 days open label, randomized comparison of either D­penicillamine (750 mg/day) or Nacetilcysteine (1.8 g/day). Patients were followed on a daily basis to assess the elimination of mercury in urine and the frequency of adverse effects of each treatment.

RESULTS: 32 patients completed 10 days of drug treatment. Averages of mercury elimination in 24 hours urine, before and after treatment with D­penicillamine and N­acetylcysteine, were not different (211.96 mcg ± 190 and 262.15 mcg ± 305 and 232.85 mcg ± 248 and 218.65 mcg ± 240, respectively, P > 0.05 for all comparisons). Evaluation of the frequency of adverse effects showed a significant difference between the two groups: D­penicillamine (50%) and N­acetylcysteine (11%) p = 0.0079.

]]> CONCLUSION: this study did not reveal any significant differences between the chelating capacity of Dpenicillamine and N­acetylcysteine in patients with mercury poisoning, from a mining population at the northeastern part of Antioquia, Colombia. However, there were significantly less adverse effects with the Nacetylcysteine treatment.

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