Blood Lead Levels in Opium-Poisoned Children: One Cross-Sectional Study in Iran

Abstract

<span><strong>Background: </strong><span>Lead poisoning is now more common due to accidental or intentional exposure to opium<br /><span>impregnated with lead. We aimed to determine the relationship between the blood lead levels (BLLs) and<br /><span>basic characteristics in opium-poisoned children.<br /><span><strong>Methods: </strong><span>In this cross-sectional study, 32 children younger than 13 years old who had been admitted to<br /><span>Loghman Hakim Poison Center, Tehran, Iran, due to opium poisoning, were evaluated for BLLs. Patients'<br /><span>demographics, symptoms, signs, and lab tests were evaluated as well as the BLLs.<br /><span><strong>Findings: </strong><span>The median and range of age in children with opium poisoning were 14 and 141 months with<br /><span>minimum and maximum age of 3 and 144 months, respectively, and 62.5% were boys. Their mean BLL was<br /><span>9.78 ± 3.44 μg/dl and in 70% of opium-poisoned children, BLL was ≥ 5 μg/dl. There was a significant<br /><span>difference between mean BLLs in girls and boys (17.07 ± 6.57 μg/dl in girls and 6.61 ± 3.22 μg/dl in boys,<br /><span>P = 0.02). We found a significant correlation between BLL and hemoglobin (Hb) level. In very low Hb level<br /><span>(< 8 g/dl), the BLL was higher but with increasing Hb level, BLL increased as well; in Hb levels > 14 g/dl,<br /><span>BLL decreased again (P = 0.01).<br /><span><strong>Conclusion: </strong><span>Although none of the children needed chelation therapy, strategies should be developed to<br /><span>prevent children from being exposed to opium and other materials impregnated with lead regarding its<br /><span>effects on all organs of children.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /></span></span></span></span></span>