ALS and mercury intoxication: A relationship?

Praline, Julien; Guennoc, Anne‐Marie; Limousin, Nadège; Hallak, Habib; Toffol, Bertrand de; Corcia, Philippe

doi:10.1016/j.clineuro.2007.07.008

Cited by 64 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…There are reports in the literature showing that chelation therapy is capable of reducing ALS or ALS-like symptoms after exposure to mercury [20], but there are also cases without success [21]. The chelation therapy applied here is different from earlier approaches.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Healing of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Case Report

Mangelsdorf¹,

Walach

Mutter

2017

Complement Med Res

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Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating disease leading to death within 3-5 years in most cases. New approaches to treating this disease are needed. Here, we report a successful therapy. Case Report: In a 49-year-old male patient suffering from muscle weakness and fasciculations, progressive muscular atrophy, a variant of ALS, was diagnosed after extensive examinations ruling out other diseases. Due to supposed mercury exposure from residual amalgam, the patient's teeth were restored. Then, the patient received sodium 2,3-dimercaptopropanesulfate (DMPS; overall 86 × 250 mg in 3 years) in combination with α-lipoic acid and followed by selenium. In addition, he took vitamins and micronutrients and kept a vegetarian diet. The excretion of metals was monitored in the urine. The success of the therapy was followed by scoring muscle weakness and fasciculations and finally by electromyography (EMG) of the affected muscles. First improvements occurred after the dental restorations. Two months after starting therapy with DMPS, the mercury level in the urine was increased (248.4 µg/g creatinine). After 1.5 years, EMG confirmed the absence of typical signs of ALS. In the course of 3 years, the patient recovered completely. Conclusions: The therapy described here is a promising approach to treating some kinds of motor neuron disease and merits further evaluation in rigorous trials.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Healing of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Case Report

Mangelsdorf¹,

Walach

Mutter

2017

Complement Med Res

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“…Some hypotheses have suggested that chronic respiratory exposure, in a low dose, to certain metals, such as Hg, might contribute to neurodegenerative diseases genesis, including motor neuron disease [80]. Several laboratory [81], epidemiological studies [82], and case reports [83] have confirmed the possible implication of Hg. Observing the conflicting evidence in the literature regarding the role of Hg in the etiology of ALS, is hoped to bring about a greater interest in this topic [84].…”

Section: Etiology Of Als As Well As the Onset Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Risk agents related to work and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: An occupational medicine focus

Garzillo

Miraglia

Pedata

et al. 2015

Int J Occup Med Environ Health

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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive muscular paralysis reflecting degeneration of motor neurons. In recent years, in addition to several studies about genetic mechanisms leading to motor neurons damage, various epigenetic theories have been developed, involving the study of the patients' work and lifestyle. The work aims at focusing the role of occupational exposure related to ALS by literature data analysis. Articles, selected on the basis of keywords, year of publication and topics, are related to occupational exposure, suggesting an impact on ALS onset. The literature review shows that there are still a lot of biases in the studies design, which actually do not allow to draw unequivocal conclusions.

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“…Also of note, despite the fact that urinary mercury excretion increased dramatically after chelation treatment with dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), symptoms failed to improve, and actually worsened. Praline et al [40] report a more recent case of ALS in an 81-year-old woman following chronic exposure to mercury vapor from a tank used for pressure therapy to treat lymphadenopathy in her left arm. The patient had only slightly elevated mercury levels in her blood, but enormous levels were detected in her urine, even though her last exposure had taken place 5 months before.…”

Section: Mercurymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Association of Exposure to Lead, Mercury, and Selenium and the Development of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and the Epigenetic Implications

et al. 2010

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Metal exposures are an intriguing potential culprit in the cause of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). For one, there are numerous case reports linking different metals to an ALS phenotype. Furthermore, some investigators have demonstrated higher levels of certain metals in the blood, bone, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, or spinal cords of patients with ALS compared to controls. There are also many case-control studies looking at the possible association of certain metals with the development of ALS. We have reviewed the relevant literature regarding metal exposures and the risk of developing ALS. We found that many different metals have been implicated as having a role in ALS, but there is more literature investigating the role of lead than any other metal. Despite many studies, the role, if any, of this metal in the pathogenesis of ALS remains unclear. Similarly, other metals either have inconclusive, conflicting, or insufficient results in order to make a definitive conclusion. One explanation for these findings is that metal exposures alone are insufficient for the development of ALS. Perhaps an interaction between the metal exposure and an individual’s genetic makeup is required to produce epigenetic changes that ultimately lead to ALS.

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ALS and mercury intoxication: A relationship?

Cited by 64 publications

References 28 publications

Healing of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Case Report

Healing of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Case Report

Risk agents related to work and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: An occupational medicine focus

The Association of Exposure to Lead, Mercury, and Selenium and the Development of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and the Epigenetic Implications

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