CHRONIC CHILDHOOD LEAD-POISONING - ANALYSIS OF 129 CASES

One hundred and twenty nine children with chronic lead poisoning were followed from August 1985 to July 1989. Old lead paint was recognized as the contaminant source at home. Pica of paint flakes was the main mode of intoxication. Children were classified according to the Center for Disease Control 1985 as follows : class IV (39 cases), class III (45 cases), class II (30 cases), class I (15 cases). Nineteen of those in class IV had blood lead levels above 700-mu-g/l and received BAL + EDTA followed by EDTA alone for a mean of 4.6 +/- 3.5 courses. With this treatment, blood lead level decreases were 50 +/- 17%. Nine of these class IV children had an evaluation at last 3 months after the last chelation course: 5 became class I or II, and 2 class III with a negative provocative test. The remaining 20 children in class IV were given a mean of 2.7 +/- 1.4 courses of EDTA. Blood lead levels decreased by 52 +/- 15%; 11 children were evaluable at least 3 months after the last chelation course: 4 became class I, and 7 class II. Thus overall 80% of class IV moved under treatment to class I or II. Among those 45 children in class II, 30 underwent a provocative test and 24 one to three courses of EDTA: 8 were further studied: 3 became class I and 5 class II. Combination of screening, medical treatment and sociocultural approach led to avoid acute effects of severe chronic childhood lead poisoning. The efficacy of such an approach in preventing chronic effects has still to be evaluated.