ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This study assessed the environmental lead exposure in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the relationship between lead exposure and renal function indices. METHODS: Seventy-one patients with CKD and 40 control subjects without known renal disease were included. Blood lead was measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry and tibial lead was measured via 109Cd-based K-shell X-ray fluorescence. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine, urine creatinine and urine N-acetyl-beta glucosaminidase (NAG) were also measured. Blood lead was corrected with hematocrit (female: 35%, male: 42%) to adjust for differences in anemic status of patients compared with control subjects. RESULTS: The mean level of hematocrit-adjusted blood lead was significantly higher in patients with CKD (4.18+/-1.74 microg/dL) compared with that in control subjects (3.00+/-0.92 microg/dL); the mean tibial lead level tended to be higher in patients with CKD (3.38+/-9.93 microg/g) than that in control subjects (1.28+/-7.92 microg/g), but no statistical significance was observed. In a multivariate regression analysis after adjusting for gender, age, and drinking and smoking status, adjusted blood lead was a significant predictor of increases in BUN and serum creatinine, but not of the level of urine NAG or creatinine. In contrast, no significant association between tibial lead and renal indices was observed in the multivariate regression analysis. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that environmental lead exposure may compromise renal function.