Environmental Lead Intoxication And Chronic Kidney Disease: A Review

The global burden of chronic kidney disease has reached epidemic proportions and it has been fuelled by the rising prevalence of diabetes and hypertension. A large percentage of patients especially in the developing countries have CKD on uncertain cause. Lead, a bivalent heavy metal is increasingly being recognized to play a role in the pathogenesis of hypertension and progressive renal disease. Lead poisoning detected by measuring blood lead levels can be prevented by the regulation of industrial production, dispersion and uses of lead. In the United States blood lead levels have been on the decline since the regulatory legislations came into effect in 1970. Even small concentrations of have been associated with adverse health effects from epidemiological studies. Whereas the type of large scale lead poisonings that were reported in the middle of the last century are now uncommon, chronic low level lead poisoning has correlated with the rate of hypertension and progressive renal disease. Clinicians should be alert to detect early lead poisoning, and commence treatments that have been shown to limit or reverse lead toxicity. The public health benefit of reducing environmental lead poisoning globally and especially in the developing countries with limited health resources make curbing environmental lead poisoning a very urgent need.