The relation between blood lead and mercury levels and chronic neurological diseases in children

Abstract

Aim: The aim of our study was to investigate the relation between lead and mercury exposure and some chronic neurodevelopmental diseases in children Material and Method: In the Departments of Pediatric Neurology and Pediatric Psychiatry clinics children diagnosed with motor mental retardation epilepsy attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism were included in the study as the study group 39 boys and 20 girls Age and sex matched healthy children were used as controls Blood lead and mercury levels were measured using the atomic absorption spectrophotometry method The possible effect of environmental factors that could cause exposure to heavy metals such as vaccination fish consumption and the number of dental fillings the mother had were also considered Results: The average age was 7 66 years and 7 68 years in the study and the control groups respectively The average lead level in the blood was 1 91 micro;g dl in the study group 2 19 micro;g dl in the control grocup The average mercury level in the blood was 0 84 micro;g L in the study group and 0 99 micro;g L in the control group No significant difference was found between the study and control groups in terms of blood mercury and lead levels When the relation of vaccination the frequency of fish consumption and the number of dental fillings in the mother with blood lead and mercury levels was evaluated no significant difference was found between the study and control groups Conclusions: Our study shows that the heavy metal levels of children with chronic neurodevelopmental diseases are not different from those of healthy children Yet this conclusion does not lower the significance of enviromental heavy metal hazard on human health Turk Arch Ped 2013; 48: 221 225

Keywords

• Blood lead level, blood mercury level, chronic neurodevelopmental disease, environmental exposure

Çocukluk çağı kronik nörogelişimsel hastalıklar ile kan kurşun ve cıva düzeyleri arasındaki ilişki

Öz

Amaç: Ağır metal maruziyetinin çocukluklarda kronik nörogelişimsel ve nöropsikiyatrik hastalıklara yol açabildiği öne sürülmektedir Çalışmanın amacı kurşun ve civa maruziyetinin bazı çocukluk çağı kronik nörogelişimsel hastalıkları ile ilişkisini incelemektir.

Gereç ve Yöntem: İstanbul Üniversitesi Cerrahpaşa Tıp Fakültesi Çocuk Nörolojisi ve Çocuk Psikiyatrisi Poliklinikleri rsquo;nde ortak olarak izlenen motor zeka geriliği epilepsi dikkat eksikliği hiperaktivite bozukluğu ve otizm tanılı çocuklar hasta grubu 39 erkek 20 kız ; yaş ve cinse göre eşleştirilmiş aynı sayılarda sağlıklı çocuklar da kontrol grubu olarak çalışmaya alındı Çocuklardan alınan venöz kan örneklerinde kurşun ve civa düzeyleri atomik absorpsiyon spektrofotometri yöntemi ile ölçüldü Ağır metal maruziyetine yol açabilecek bazı çevresel etmenlerin aşılanma durumu balık tüketimi annelerin diş dolgusu sayısı olası etkileri değerlendirildi İstatistiksel analizler için Mann Whitney U Kruskal Wallis ve ki kare testleri uygulandı.

Bulgular: Olgu grubunun yaş ortalaması 7 66 kontrol grubunun 7 68 yıldı Ortalama kan kurşun düzeyi hasta grubunda 1 91 micro;g dL kontrol grubunda 2 19 micro;g dL ortalama kan civa düzeyi hasta grubunda 0 84 micro;g L kontrol grubunda 0 99 micro;g L saptandı Hasta ve kontrol gruplarında kan ve civa düzeyleri arasında anlamlı farklılık görülmedi Aşılanma durumu balık tüketim sıklığı ve annelerin diş dolgusu sayısının kan kurşun ve civa düzeyleri ile ilişkisi değerlendirildiğinde olgu ve kontrol grupları arasında anlamlı farklılık saptanmadı.

Çıkarımlar: Bu çalışma kronik nörogelişimsel hastalığı olan çocuklarda kan kurşun ve civa düzeylerinin sağlam çocuklardan farklı olmadığını göstermektedir Ancak bu sonuç çevresel ağır metal maruziyetinin insan sağlığı üzerindeki önemini azaltmamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Çevresel maruziyet
• kronik nörogelişimsel hastalık
• kan kurşun düzeyi
• kan civa düzeyi

Kaynakça

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