Altered Peripheral Nerve Conduction Velocity

Lead neuropathy has been considered an infrequent occurrence in children with lead intoxication. Acute encephalopathy may overshadow its recognition, but chronic exposure to lead may produce changes in peripheral nerve fibers that result in altered conduction characteristics. In this study 24 Boston children with known plumbism were found to have reduced mean motor nerve conduction velocities as compared with normal children. This finding may provide a valuable test for discovering minimal peripheral neurotoxic effects of chronic exposure to lead ingestion.