ABSTRACT
CONTEXT: Congenital lead poisoning is uncommon and there is no consensus on the management of the newborn. CASE DETAILS: A female infant was born to a lead-burdened woman identified by screening just prior to delivery. Maternal blood lead level (BLL) was 58 µg/dL. The infant's BLL on the second day of life was 72 µg/dL with a free erythrocyte protoporphyrin level of 175 µg/dL. The child was managed by an exchange transfusion followed by chelation. The BLL 6 h after exchange transfusion was 11.4 µg/dL. Follow-up 2 years later showed a BLL of 9 µg/dL and normal development. DISCUSSION: We present the details of a case of congenital lead poisoning treated aggressively which appears to have resulted in a favorable outcome.
Subject(s)
Lead Poisoning/congenital , Adult , Dimercaprol/therapeutic use , Exchange Transfusion, Whole Blood , Female , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Lead/blood , Lead Poisoning/therapy , Pregnancy , Treatment OutcomeSubject(s)
Fetal Distress/etiology , Lead Poisoning/etiology , Maternal-Fetal Relations , Pregnancy Complications/etiology , Wounds, Gunshot/complications , Abnormalities, Multiple/etiology , Abnormalities, Multiple/therapy , Adult , Chelation Therapy , Child , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Lead Poisoning/congenital , Lead Poisoning/diagnosis , Lead Poisoning/therapy , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications/diagnosis , Pregnancy Complications/therapyABSTRACT
Fueron estudiados los efectos que la intoxicación prenatal con plomo produce en la histología y en los parámetros morfométricos de la epidermis de la región occipitofrontal de la bóveda del cráneo fetal. El plomo, administrado intraperitonealmente en forma de acetato en el 10º día de preñez en ratas Wistar, en dosis de 25 mg por kg de peso corporal, causó retardo del crecimiento intrauterino en fetos y placentas. Se demostró que la epidermis de la bóveda del cráneo es más delgada en los fetos intoxicados por plomo. Los resultados del análisis morfométrico sugieren que el plomo induce retardo en el crecimiento y en la diferenciación de las células epidérmicas de la bóveda craneal de los fetos
Subject(s)
Animals , Rats , Epidermis/pathology , Fetus/drug effects , Lead Poisoning/congenital , Skull Base/pathology , Karyometry , Pregnancy Complications , Rats, Wistar/embryology , Histological TechniquesABSTRACT
The objective of the present study was to determine the toxic trace element status of 51 healthy Austrian women and their newborn babies. Lead, mercury and cadmium content of early breast milk, blood and urine were measured post partum by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. None of the toxic trace elements could be found in elevated concentrations; the content of mercury and cadmium in milk was below limits of detection. Mean lead concentration in breast milk was 35.8 (SD:15.0) micrograms/l. Whole blood content of lead was 37.0 (SD:12.7) micrograms/l in mothers and 26.3 (SD:11.6) in newborns. High blood concentrations of mercury were found both in mothers (4.46 micrograms/l, SD:1.95) and in umbilical cord blood (5.58 micrograms/l, SD:2.33). The corresponding values for cadmium were 0.44 (SD:0.4) micrograms/l and 0.08 (SD:0.16) micrograms/l. Urine excretion of the elements assayed was normal. Significant correlations between maternal and neonatal blood toxic mineral levels could be demonstrated in lead (p < 0.001).
Subject(s)
Cadmium Poisoning/congenital , Lead Poisoning/congenital , Maternal-Fetal Exchange , Mercury Poisoning/congenital , Milk, Human/chemistry , Adult , Cadmium/pharmacokinetics , Cadmium Poisoning/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Lead/pharmacokinetics , Lead Poisoning/diagnosis , Maternal-Fetal Exchange/drug effects , Maternal-Fetal Exchange/physiology , Mercury/pharmacokinetics , Mercury Poisoning/diagnosis , Pregnancy , Reference Values , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
The effect of lead as a neurotoxic agent has been associated with alterations in calcium metabolism. On this line, the present study shows that lead alters the characteristics of [3H]nitrendipine ([ 3H]NDP) binding to rat striatal membranes. In vitro, lead shares the action of calcium in enhancing [3H]NDP binding although it is more potent on a molar basis. In vivo, lead exposure through drinking water enhances [3H]NDP binding to crude synaptosomal membrane preparations. This effect is lost when membranes are washed with EDTA-EGTA, indicating that the increased binding is due to the persistence of lead in the brain of treated rats.
Subject(s)
Corpus Striatum/metabolism , Lead Poisoning/metabolism , Nifedipine/analogs & derivatives , Animals , Female , Lead Poisoning/congenital , Nifedipine/metabolism , Nitrendipine , Pregnancy , Rats , Rats, Inbred Strains , Synaptic Membranes/metabolismSubject(s)
Lead Poisoning/congenital , Tooth Eruption , Tooth, Deciduous/physiopathology , Adolescent , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, NewbornABSTRACT
Because lead crosses the placenta throughout pregnancy, the fetus is at risk for lead poisoning. A full term, asymptomatic child was born with congenital lead poisoning secondary to maternal pica. Radiographic findings of a dense cranial vault, lead lines, and delayed skeletal and deciduous dental development were noted at birth. After chelation therapy, when the patient was seven months old, radiographs revealed normal skeletal maturation. Tooth eruption did not occur until 15 months of age. Newborn infants with these radiographic findings should be screened for subclinical, congenital lead poisoning.
