Lead poisoning is the presence of an elevated level of lead in the blood. It is estimated that about 2% of children younger than 6 years in the United States have elevated blood lead levels. Lead enters the blood and other organs primarily through the lungs (from breathing contaminated air) and the digestive tract (from eating contaminated substances). Lead can have damaging effects on any organ in the body, but it is particularly damaging to the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) and red blood cells (cells that carry oxygen in the blood). Lead is toxic to both adults and children. It is particularly dangerous for children younger than 6 years because they are still growing and their nervous system is still developing. Even a slightly increased blood lead level may have toxic effects, so it is important to see your doctor immediately if you believe you or your family to be at risk. The May 11, 2005, issue of JAMA includes an article that reports rates of follow-up testing for children with high blood lead levels in the state of Michigan.
Paint dust and paint chips from lead-based paint (used most commonly in houses built before 1978)
Contaminated soil
Water that has passed through lead pipes
Food that has been stored in lead-glazed earthenware
Some hobby materials, such as stained glass and fishing weights
Certain toys and jewelry
Some preparations of traditional remedies
Fatigue
Stomach pains
Headaches
Changes in personality or worsening of school performance
Pain in hands, feet, muscles, or joints
In many cases, there are no symptoms.
Evaluation begins with a complete medical history and physical examination, including a thorough neurological examination. Further testing would usually include a blood test to measure the blood lead level and a red blood cell count to check for anemia (low red blood cell count).
Appropriate treatment depends on the blood lead level and differs for children and adults. If the level is only slightly elevated, your doctor may advise measures to reduce lead exposure and to have the blood lead level retested. In other cases, immediate medical treatment may be required. Medical treatment primarily consists of chelating agents, medications that specifically bind to lead and assist in its removal from the body. These agents can be administered by mouth or intravenously (through a needle inserted into a vein).
National Lead Information Center800/424-5323
US Environmental Protection Agencyhttp://www.epa.gov/lead/index.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 404/639-3534http://www.cdc.gov/lead
To find this and previous JAMA Patient Pages, go to the Patient Page link on JAMA's Web site at http://www.jama.com. A Patient Page on lead poisoning in children was published in the June 23/30, 1999, issue.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, US Environmental Protection Agency, American Academy of Pediatrics
The JAMA Patient Page is a public service of JAMA. The information and recommendations appearing on this page are appropriate in most instances, but they are not a substitute for medical diagnosis. For specific information concerning your personal medical condition, JAMA suggests that you consult your physician. This page may be photocopied noncommercially by physicians and other health care professionals to share with patients. Any other print or online reproduction is subject to AMA approval. To purchase bulk reprints, call 718/946-7424.
TOPIC: POISONING
Country-Specific Mortality and Growth Failure in Infancy and Yound Children and Association With Material Stature
Use interactive graphics and maps to view and sort country-specific infant and early dhildhood mortality and growth failure data and their association with maternal
Instructions
Comments are moderated and will appear on the site at the discretion of the Journal of American Medical Association editors. Comments should not exceed 500 words of text and 10 references.
Do not submit personal medical questions or information that could identify a specific patient, questions about a particular case, or general inquiries to an author. Only content that has not been published, posted, or submitted elsewhere should be submitted. By submitting this Comment, you and any coauthors transfer copyright to the journal if your Comment is posted.
* = Required Field
Disclosure of Any Conflicts of Interest* Indicate all relevant conflicts of interest of each author below, including all relevant financial interests, activities, and relationships within the past 3 years including, but not limited to, employment, affiliation, grants or funding, consultancies, honoraria or payment, speakers’ bureaus, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, royalties, donation of medical equipment, or patents planned, pending, or issued. If all authors have none, check "No potential conflicts or relevant financial interests" in the box below. Please also indicate any funding received in support of this work. The information will be posted with your response.
Register and get free email Table of Contents alerts, saved searches, PowerPoint downloads, CME quizzes, and more
Subscribe for full-text access to content from 1998 forward and a host of useful features
Activate your current subscription (AMA members and current subscribers)
Some tools below are only available to our subscribers or users with an online account.
Download citation file:
Customize your page view by dragging & repositioning the boxes below.
and access these and other features:
Register Now
Enter your username and email address. We'll send you a reminder to the email address on record.
Athens and Shibboleth are access management services that provide single sign-on to protected resources. They replace the multiple user names and passwords necessary to access subscription-based content with a single user name and password that can be entered once per session. It operates independently of a user's location or IP address. If your institution uses Athens or Shibboleth authentication, please contact your site administrator to receive your user name and password.