Review: cobalt toxicity and artificial metal hips

4.5 out of 5 stars Systemic toxicity related to metal hip prostheses. Bradberry SM et al. Clin Toxicol 2014;52:837-847. Abstract As TPR has reported before, cobalt poisoning can cause hypothyroidism, cardiomyopathy, and neurotoxicity. Neurological manifestations include: optic nerve damage and retinopathy with reduced visual acuity bilateral nerve deafness and tinnitus polyneuropathy (sensory and motor) cognitive impairment and memory loss A number of papers and case reports have described clinical cobalt toxicity related to metal-on-metal hip prostheses or revision of a failed ceramic prosthesis with metal parts. Although these cases are somewhat rare, missing the association can be catastrophic. Recently, a report in theNew England Journal of Medicine described a 59-year-old woman with bilateral metal-on-metal hip prostheses who received a heart transplant for severe progressive cardiomyopathy. She also developed hypothyroidism, initially attributed to previous treatment with amiodarone. Cobalt toxicity was not diagnosed until months after transplant surgery. This superb paper describes and critically reviews that 18 cases in the medical literature of systemic toxicity in patients with metal hip prostheses. The authors — using somewhat vague criteria — determined that i 10 of these cases the systemic manifestations were probably related to cobalt exposure. Some key take-home points from the paper. metal ions released from hip prostheses impair osteocyte function ...
Source: The Poison Review - Category: Toxicology Authors: Tags: Medical cardiomyopathy cobalt toxicity hip replacement hypothyroidism neurotoxicity prosthesis Source Type: news