Minamata disease is a neurologic condition caused by organic mercury poisoning.
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Epidemiology
It is usually caused by the ingestion of methylmercury-contaminated seafood 1.
Clinical presentation
Typical neurological findings in Minamata disease include:
sensory disturbances
tunnel vision
hearing and speech impairments
cerebellar ataxia 1,2
Radiographic features
MRI
atrophy of the visual and postcentral cortex, as well as of the cerebellar vermis and hemispheres
T1 hypointensity and T2 hyperintensity of the visual cortex
History and etymology
In 1953, fishermen and their families from the Minamata Bay area, in Southwestern Japan developed a new unknown ailment. After 3 years the number of cases of this illness had surged and it was called Minamata disease. Toxic concentrations of mercury were identified within the viscera of the deceased patients. It was proved that the affected individuals had consumed large quantities of seafood contaminated from the mercury-laden runoff from an industrial plant 1.
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