N-hexane neuropathy with vertigo and cold allodynia in a silk screen printer: A case study

• Authors: Sunil Pradhan , Ruchika Tandon

Abstracts

EN

N-hexane neuropathy is an occupational disease caused by exposure to n-hexane, which is used as a solvent in silk screen printing. Here, we describe a 35-year-old man, a silk screen printer by profession, who presented with dizziness, distal swelling of both lower limbs for 10 months and tingling and burning sensation in both feet for 9.5 months along with cold allodynia. The patient had normal results of a motor and sensory system examination, apart from an impaired temperature sense. Nerve conduction tests showed a conduction block in bilateral common peroneal nerves and absence of conduction in bilateral sural nerves. These symptoms resolved when further exposure to n-hexane was ceased but cold allodynia remained. Thus, cold allodynia and impaired temperature sense can be a manifestation of n-hexane neuropathy. Hence, abnormalities on nerve conduction studies can be detected in n-hexane neuropathy patients, even before clinical examination detects any such abnormalities. In the case of the patients presenting with sensory motor neuropathy, history of occupational exposure to n-hexane becomes important, as the sooner the disease is detected, the better the chances of recovery.

Keywords

EN

n-hexane; occupational diseases; silk screen printing; solvents

• Publisher: Instytut Medycyny Pracy im. prof. dra Jerzego Nofera w Łodzi
• Journal: International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health
• Year: 2015
• Volume: 28
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 915-919

Dates

published

2015

Contributors

author

Sunil Pradhan

• Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India (Department of Neurology)

author

Ruchika Tandon

• Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India (Department of Neurology)

Identifiers

DOI

10.13075/ijomeh.1896.00327

Biblioteka Nauki

2177126