Modifications of the sympathetic skin response in workers chronically exposed to lead
Braz. j. med. biol. res
;
40(1): 81-87, Jan. 2007. tab
Artigo
em Inglês
| LILACS
| ID: lil-439672
ABSTRACT
The long-term effects of low-level lead intoxication are not known. The sympathetic skin response (SSR) was evaluated in a group of 60 former workers of a primary lead smelter, located in Santo Amaro, BA, Brazil. The individuals participating in the study were submitted to a clinical-epidemiological evaluation including questions related to potential risk factors for intoxication, complaints related to peripheral nervous system (PNS) involvement, neurological clinical examination, and also to electromyography and nerve conduction studies and SSR evaluation. The sample consisted of 57 men and 3 women aged 34 to 69 years (mean ± SD 46.8 ± 6.9). The neurophysiologic evaluation showed the presence of lumbosacral radiculopathy in one of the individuals (1.7 percent), axonal sensorimotor polyneuropathy in 2 (3.3 percent), and carpal tunnel syndrome in 6 (10 percent). SSR was abnormal or absent in 12 cases, representing 20 percent of the sample. More than half of the subjects (53.3 percent) reported a history of acute abdominal pain requiring hospitalization during the period of work at the plant. A history of acute palsy of radial and peroneal nerves was reported by about 16.7 and 8.3 percent of the individuals, respectively. Mean SSR amplitude did not differ significantly between patients presenting or not the various characteristics in the current neurological situation, except for diaphoresis. The results suggest that chronic lead intoxication induces PNS damage, particularly affecting unmyelinated small fibers. Further systematic study is needed to more precisely define the role of lead in inducing PNS injury.
Texto completo:
DisponíveL
Índice:
LILACS (Américas)
Assunto principal:
Sistema Nervoso Simpático
/
Exposição Ocupacional
/
Doenças do Sistema Nervoso Periférico
/
Resposta Galvânica da Pele
/
Chumbo
/
Condução Nervosa
Tipo de estudo:
Estudo diagnóstico
/
Estudo de etiologia
/
Fatores de risco
Limite:
Adulto
/
Feminino
/
Humanos
/
Masculino
Idioma:
Inglês
Revista:
Braz. j. med. biol. res
Assunto da revista:
Biologia
/
Medicina
Ano de publicação:
2007
Tipo de documento:
Artigo
País de afiliação:
Brasil
/
França
Instituição/País de afiliação:
Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul/BR
/
Universidade Federal da Bahia/BR
/
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul/BR
/
Université Paris-Sud/FR
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