Dermatological, medical, and laboratory findings of patients in Taiwan and their treatments

Abstract

This paper describes in detail the dermatological, medical, and laboratory findings of patients poisoned with PCBs and related compounds in Taiwan. Together with their symptoms, their skin lesions as well as their hematological, immunological, and other clinical features are explained. A grading of their clinical severity was tried, and its possible association with PCB concentrations in their blood was examined but could not be demonstrated. Various treatments have been applied but without notable success. Even so, a follow-up study of patients one year later showed that about 38% of patients were somewhat clinically improved, while 54% were not altered.

Increased liver and lupus mortalities in 24-year follow-up of the Taiwanese people highly exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls and dibenzofurans

“…Such increase in liver disease mortality was reported in Japanese people accidentally exposed to PCBs/PCDFs in a similar poisoning event (Yusho incident) in 1968 (Ikeda et al, 1987). Although mortality studies don't allow for detailed investigation of mechanisms of such increase in liver mortality, abnormal liver function was documented among Yucheng subjects after the exposure (Lü and Wong, 1984). In addition, urinary excretion of uroporphyrin was approximately tripled (Chang et al, 1980).…”