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Prenatal lead exposure and childhood blood pressure and kidney function

Helena Skröder1, Sophie Hawkesworth2, Sophie E Moore3

  • 1Unit of Metals and Health, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

Environmental Research
|September 10, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal lead exposure may impact children's kidney size, even if blood pressure and filtration rates are unaffected. Further research is needed to confirm these long-lasting effects on kidney development.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Pediatric Nephrology
  • Toxicology

Background:

  • Lead is a known environmental pollutant linked to adult cardiovascular and kidney problems.
  • Early-life lead exposure effects on these functions are less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between prenatal lead exposure and blood pressure in preschool-aged children.
  • To assess kidney function, including estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and kidney volume, in relation to maternal lead exposure during pregnancy.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective study in rural Bangladesh involving 4.5-year-old children.
  • Blood pressure measured in triplicate; kidney function assessed via eGFR (serum cystatin C) and kidney volume (sonography).
  • Maternal blood lead levels (erythrocyte fraction; Ery-Pb) measured at gestational weeks 14 and 30; analyzed using multivariable regression.

Main Results:

  • No significant associations found between maternal lead exposure and children's blood pressure or eGFR.
  • An inverse association was observed between late-gestation lead exposure and reduced kidney volume (n=117).
  • A 85µg/kg increase in Ery-Pb at GW30 correlated with a 6.0cm²/m² decrease in kidney volume, particularly in girls.

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal lead exposure may have lasting adverse effects on kidney development.
  • Further follow-up studies in older children and diverse populations are recommended.
  • The findings highlight the potential impact of lead on pediatric kidney structure.
Abstract

Keywords:
Blood pressureChildrenKidney functionLeadPrenatal exposure

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