Impact of lead intoxication in children with iron deficiency anemia in low- and middle-income countries.

摘要

Recently, Pasricha et al1 reported on the control of iron deficiency anemia in low- and middle-income countries.The article discusses common contributory etiologies ranging from nutritional to infectious causes for iron deficiency anemia in the pediatric age group. Given that lead ingestion exacerbates iron deficiency, may accelerate the cognitive injuries of iron deficiency, and may also confound the diagnosis of microcytic anemia, we were surprised that the authors did not mention lead in their article.Clune et al found that lead intoxication is remarkably common in many areas in the world including those described by the authors. Our own pilot study, conducted in a semiurban Indian setup, indicated strikingly high prevalence rates of lead intoxication. Fifty-six percent of the children in the age group of 0 to 6 years had a mean blood lead level (BLL) above 5 mcg/dL, with close to 10% of children in this age group having BLL dangerously above 15 mcg/dL.