ABSTRACT
Background: In 1996 there was a massive lead poisoning in a southern rural community in Chile. The contamination source was a mill whose grinding stone was repaired with lead and contaminated the flour. Aim: To assess the presence of sequelae ten years later, among subjects that were exposed to lead on that occasion. Material and methods: Cross sectional study of 77 individuals (47 males), aged 10 to 25 years, that were exposed to lead in 1996 and were treated with EDTA. Results: Twenty one percent of subjects had a subnormal intellingence quotient (IQ). The risk of having a low IQ was significantly higher among those exposed before the age of six years. IQ was significantly lower among subjects that, immediately after the exposure, had a lead level over 48 fig/dl, compared with those that had a lead level below 43 fig/dl (86.7±7.3 and 93±11.6 respectively). No subjects with high blood pressure or evidences of nephrotoxicity were detected. Conclusions: Subjects aged ¡ess than six years at the moment of lead exposure had a lower IQ when assessed ten years later.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Adult , Child , Female , Humans , Male , Young Adult , Cognition Disorders/diagnosis , Intelligence/physiology , Lead Poisoning, Nervous System, Childhood/complications , Chile , Cognition Disorders/chemically induced , Cross-Sectional Studies , Young AdultABSTRACT
La infección por echinococcus granulosus y la formación de quistes hidatídicos es aún una patología que se debe tener presente en pacientes de procedencia rural. Se presenta el caso de un escolar de trece años con múltiples quistes, detectados al realizar un ecocardiograma por estudio de un soplo.