SERUM LEAD LEVEL IN A SAMPLE OF EGYPTIAN CHILDREN WITH SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITIES: CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

MONA R.A. ELTANTAWY, MSC ,ELSAYED ABEL LATIF EL NAGGAR, MD,MAHMOUD AHMED ELWASIFY, MD,IBTIHAL M.A. IBRAHIM, MD ,MOSTAFA ABDEL MONHEM AMR, MD

Background: learning disability can be defined as a condition that impairs the person’s capacity for thought and memory. Specific learning disabilities (SLD) can be divided broadly into three categories which are dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. Damietta government is an industrial area which makes lead exposure more frequent among the children. The nervous system is the most sensitive system adversely impacted by lead. In this work we have studied the relation between serum lead level, specific learning disabilities (SLD) and psychiatric co-morbidity in an Egyptian student’s sample.

Results the study included 170 students. Significant relation between serum lead level and specific learning disabilities was found in the studied sample. However, in regard to serum lead level and Psychiatric co morbidity, no significant relationship was detected.

Conclusions: Based on the results, after analysis for the relationship between SLD, psychiatric co morbidities and serum lead level, the detection of SLD at a blood lead level of 0.150 ug was only 50.8% specific and 61.0% sensitive among the studied sample. Longitudinal research will be needed to see long term effect of lead exposure.