Lead poisoning

Lead poisoning – is an example of the most frequent diseases caused by exposure to the environment. In most cases this occurs while up taking of low dose and their accumulation in the body until its concentration reaches a critical level necessary for doxology manifestations.

There is an acute and chronic form of a disease.

The acute form occur when the large doses ingested or inhalation of lead vapor, or in the dispersion of lead paint. Chronic poisoning most commonly occurs in children, licking the surface painted with lead paint.

Children, unlike adults, much easier absorb lead. Chronic poisoning can develop when using poorly burnt ceramic dishes, covered with enamel, containing lead, with the use of contaminated water, especially in older homes where sewage pipes contain lead, with alcohol abuse made in the distiller that contain lead. The problem of chronic poisoning is also associated with the presence of lead vapors in the application of tetraethyl lead for burns as anti-shock drug.

Gaseous emissions is poisoning, not only the atmosphere but also the soil, and water, and food products. Only in North America, such emission into the atmosphere is 200 thousand tons of lead annually. Poisoning of the atmosphere is everywhere, and the average adult gets about 150 to 400 mGy, and the concentration of lead in blood and in tissues up to 25 mgr/100 ml. For the occurrence of clinical signs of disease there should be about 80 mgr/100 ml.

Lead poisoning is characterized by the following neurological syndromes:

1. Asthenic syndrome (headaches, dizziness, non-system nature, physical and mental fatigue, lethargy, a violation of sleep, emotional lability, narrowing the range of interest).

2. Lead encephalopathy (a significant memory impairment, intense headaches, reduction of criticism to your state, psychosensory disturbances and breaches of perceptions in the form of visual, auditory and tactile hallucinations, hyperkinesis, ataxia, defeated craniocerebral nerves, the phenomenon of temporal epilepsy, lead meningopathy).

3. Lead colic occurring as a kind of vegetative crisis (Cramping pain, disruption of the intestine, vomiting, tachycardia, rising blood pressure, elevated levels of catecholamine’s in the blood).

4. Lead palsy – the most severe and typical syndrome. The paralysis may be myogenic (toxic myositis) and neurogenic (neurotic and pre-nerves) character. The most commonly affects the hands and fingers extensors (coil brush), sometimes with damage of the foot extension.

In this case, Aran – Dyshein syndrome can develop (with weakness and atrophy of small hand muscles). The right hand usually suffers graver. Brahial type appears muscles of proximal hand sections. Occasionally, occur a generalized type of injury with the hands and feet paresis or paralysis. In severe cases, the process involved eye-motive and facial nerves.