title: Blood lead concentrations and iron deficiency in Canadian aboriginal infants.
abstract: Aboriginal Cree infants living in northern Quebec who were 9 months of age were screened for anemia, iron deficiency and elevated blood lead concentrations. Of the 314 infants who were eligible to participate, 274 (87.3%) were screened for anemia, 186 had blood lead concentration measured and 141 of the latter group had iron status determined. The median blood lead concentration was 0.08 micromol/l (range 0.01-1.00 micromol/l). The 25, 50 and 75 percentiles for blood lead concentration were 0.05, 0.08 and 0.12 micromol/l, respectively. The prevalence of elevated blood lead concentrations (> 0.48 micromol/l) was 2.7% (95% Cl 0.36-5.0). Among infants who had blood lead measured, the prevalence of anemia (hemoglobin < 110 g/l) was 25.0% and 7.9% of infants had iron-deficiency anemia (hemoglobin < 110 g/l and serum ferritin < 10 microg/l). Anemic infants had a higher mean geometric blood lead concentration than did babies without anemia (0.11 micromol/l vs. 0.07 micromol/l, P = 0.003). Likewise, infants with iron-deficiency anemia had a significantly higher mean geometric blood lead concentration than infants without iron deficiency anemia (0.16 micromol/l vs. 0.07 micromol/l, P = 0.001). There was a significant negative correlation between blood lead and hemoglobin concentrations (r = -0.203, P = 0.006) and between blood lead and serum ferritin concentrations (r = -0.245, P = 0.003). Infants who were fed traditional food (fish, fowl and game) did not have a significantly different mean geometric blood lead concentration, hemoglobin concentration or serum ferritin concentration than infants who did not eat traditional food. Few infants (5.3%) ate traditional food daily.
authors.affiliation: Canadian Institutes of Health Research Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton.
authors.forename: Noreen D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Willows
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gray-Donald
mesh_terms: D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D000818:Animals; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D004032:Diet; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American; D007223:Infant; D007229:Infant Welfare; D007501:Iron / Q000097:blood*; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D007854:Lead; D007501:Iron