Lead poisoning
Description
Lead: heavy metal that’s poorly absorbed in the body and slowly excreted; replaces calcium in the bones and increases the permeability of central nervous system membranes
In children, obtained by teething on or eating lead-based paint or inhaling lead dust
Most common in toddlers
Confirmed when the child has two successive blood lead levels greater than 10 mcg/dl
Pathophysiology
Lead has an affinity for bone and acts by replacing calcium.
When high concentrations of lead are deposited in growing bone, the greatest concentration occurs in the metaphysis and (in children) affects the distal femur, both ends of the tibia, and distal radius.
Causes
Ingestion of lead through oral route or by inhalation
Sources: lead-based paint, soil, drinking water, and certain folk remedies such as alarcon, alkohl, azarcon, bali goli, coral, ghasard, greta, liga, paylooah, and rueda, and traditional cosmetics such as kohl
Assessment findings
