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Sub-Category:

Persistent Organic Pollutants

Number of Conditions: 1

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) toxicity

Specialty: Toxicology

Category: Chronic Toxicity and Environmental Exposures

Sub-category: Persistent Organic Pollutants

Symptoms:
skin conditions like chloracne; fatigue; headaches; joint pain; abnormal liver function tests; immune system suppression; neurological symptoms like memory and concentration problems

Root Cause:
Accumulation of PCBs in the body due to environmental or occupational exposure, leading to endocrine disruption, hepatotoxicity, and neurotoxicity.

How it's Diagnosed: videos
Diagnosis is made through a history of exposure, clinical symptoms, and testing for PCB levels in blood, fat, or breast milk.

Treatment:
There is no specific antidote. Treatment focuses on minimizing further exposure, symptomatic management, nutritional support, and in some cases, bile acid sequestrants to enhance elimination.

Medications:
Cholestyramine , a bile acid sequestrant, may be used to increase the excretion of PCBs. Symptomatic treatments may include antihistamines for skin irritation and hepatoprotective agents for liver damage.

Prevalence: How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Exposure is declining due to regulatory measures, but it remains a concern in individuals exposed to PCBs through industrial work or contaminated food sources.

Risk Factors: Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Occupational exposure, consumption of contaminated fish or animal products, and living near PCB-contaminated sites.

Prognosis: The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
With reduced exposure, symptoms may improve, but chronic exposure can lead to long-term health effects, including cancer.

Complications: Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Increased risk of cancer (e.g., liver and skin cancers), reproductive issues, endocrine disorders, and long-term immune dysfunction.