Association between blood lead levels (< 5 mu g/dL) and inattention-hyperactivity and neurocognitive profiles in school-aged Korean children

Abstract

Objectives The association between low blood lead levels (<5 mu g/dL) and the inattention-hyperactivity symptoms and neurocognitive profiles of school-aged Korean children was investigated Methods We measured blood lead levels in 256 Korean children aged 8-10 years Teachers completed the Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale (T-ARS)-IV to assess inattentive and hyperactive symptoms. Parents completed the Korean version of the Learning Disability Evaluation Scale (K-LDES) Children performed neurocognitive tests [The Continuous Performance Test (CPT) the Children`s Color Trails Test, and the Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT)] Results. A linear regression analysis indicated that the blood lead concentrations were associated with the inattention scores [B = 48, SE = 1 6.95% confidence interval (Cl): 15-80], the hyperactivity subscores (3.1, 1 4, 0 3-5.9), and the total score (7.9, 29, 2.1-13.6) on the T-ARS, the number of omission errors on the CPT (20 6, 7 1, 6 5-34 6), the listening (-1.4, 07, -2.8 to -0.1), reading (-21, 07, -3.4 to -0.7), writing (-20, 07, -34 to -0.6), spelling (-22, 07, -37 to -07). and calculating (-1 8, 07, -3 1 to -0.4) scores on the K-LDES, and the color-word score on the SCWT (-67, 34, -13.3 to -01) A logistic regression analysis indicated that the probability of inattentive and hyperactive symptoms was increased with higher blood lead levels in boys with an odds ratio of 2 768 [B= 1 018. S E. = 0 487, p = 0 036. 95% CI: 1 066-7.187] Conclusion This study suggests that even low blood lead levels (<51 mu g/dL) are associated with inattentive and hyperactivity symptoms and learning difficulties in school-aged children (C) 2010 Elsevier BV All rights reserved