Lead Poisoning

Lead Poisoning General Information

This medical condition (Lead Poisoning) is known to be caused by lead exposure that probably occurred in the environment. Although this substance (lead) is not used any more in water pipes, gasoline, paints, and so on, some products that present it as an important component are still available on the market. They may pose a severe risk. Furthermore, tests have shown that the environment is still full of lead even if several years have passed since this component is no longer approved for universal use. It is a known fact that children and elderly individuals are more prone to experience the unwanted (and sometimes severe) effects of this type of poisoning.

This substance (lead) is known to be very toxic to many of the human tissues. It can accumulate in the nervous system of children as they develop and grow. Although this medical condition rarely has lethal effects, its presence can trigger several dangerous (severe) consequences in the case of children. The most common are poor school performance, lower intelligence, and so on. The presence of high levels of lead (the presence of Lead Poisoning) may be challenging to detect in the case of children, as most of them appear as healthy individuals. As the accumulation of the toxic substance is gradual, the symptoms and / or signs of this medical condition will develop after a saturation of toxicity has occurred. We recommend all individuals to avoid and remove all lead sources. For further information we strongly advise you to contact a professional in this matter.

Lead Poisoning Symptoms

As children are much more prone to developing this medical disorder (Lead Poisoning) as they present a weak immune system that has not yet reached maturity, this disorder is very common among youngsters. Although at the beginning the presence of this clinical disorder remains unnoticeable as it does not cause any particular symptoms and the child seems perfectly healthy, in time, several clinical manifestations will appear. It is known that the symptoms and signs that this disorder triggers in children are nonspecific and may include the following: learning difficulties, unusual paleness that is generally linked with the presence of anemia, constipation, vomiting, nausea, pain that is located in the abdomen, weight loss, loss of appetite, sluggishness, irritability, and so on.

Although adult individuals are less prone to developing this medical condition, if they are exposed to lead for long periods of time, they will eventually experience Lead Poisoning. The presence of this medical condition is also dangerous in the case of adult patients. The symptoms that most adult individuals who have been diagnosed with this disorder used to complain of include: tingling or numbness of their extremities, pain of their extremities, muscular weakness, abdominal pain, headache, abnormal sperm, reduced sperm count, memory loss, mood disorders, and so on.

Lead Poisoning Treatment

If the patient has been diagnosed with a mild case of Lead Poisoning, the main therapy option is stopping the exposure to the toxic substance. For this reason, the immediate removal of the source is essential in the effective reduction of the patient’s blood lead levels. If the lead source cannot be removed from the environment other options ought to be taken into consideration. For example, old lead paint can be sealed in. In this way, its toxicity is no longer a problem. You may find further pieces of advice and further recommendations at your local health care department. They will help you identify and remove the potential lead sources. This type of therapy is quite effective for the mild cases of Lead Poisoning. In most clinical cases of this kind, no further therapy is required as your lead levels will gradually reduce in time. However, small children have to return for monthly medical check ups after the lead source has been removed in order to make sure that their recovery is complete.

The therapy against Lead Poisoning of a higher severity is more problematic. Most physicians are known to recommend patients in this condition with a therapy option generally known as the chelation therapy (this treatment is adjacent to the immediate cease of the exposure to the toxic lead). During this type of therapy, the medical product (known as the chelating agent) that the patient has to take in rapidly binds to the lead that is present in the patient’s body. Both of them are excreted through urine. The most commonly employed medicine in similar therapies is Succimer (the beneficial effects of this medicine are based on the drug’s active ingredient: dimercaptosuccinic acid).

Physicians are known to generally deal with the most severe cases of Lead Poisoning (in which the patient presents lead blood levels that are higher than 45 mcg/dL) with a chemical component known as EDTA (that stands for ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid). This drug is generally administered IV (intravenously) through injections that should only be performed by authorized health care providers. The patient’s therapy with this type of acid may be completed with the intake of Dimercaprol. The length of the therapy depends on the severity of the patient’s clinical condition, on the individual’s age, sex, and so on. Unfortunately, the therapy against the severe forms of Lead Poisoning is generally unable to reverse damage that has already been caused.

Most children who have been diagnosed with this disorder also present a moderate to severe iron deficiency. For this reason, a therapy with a set of effective iron supplements is always recommended. For further information regarding the most effective therapy options against this type of medical condition but also for further details regarding the measures that one ought to take in order to avoid experiencing this medical disorder you should contact a specialist.