title: Association of maternal blood lead level during pregnancy with child blood lead level and pregnancy outcome in Kuwait.
abstract: High blood lead levels (BLL) in pregnancy are associated with poor pregnancy outcome and neuro-behavioral deficits in infants. We investigated the prevalence of high BLL in pregnant women and its impact on pregnancy outcome in Kuwait. Blood from 194 mother-infant pairs were analyzed for lead by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry. Data were collected on birth weight, crown-heel length, head circumference, APGAR score, gestational age, and placental weight. Results revealed that 28% of pregnant women and 58% of infants had BLL >10 g/dL. Cord BLL was significantly higher than maternal BLL (10.92 vs. 5.77 g/dL, p < .001). Maternal BLL was not significantly associated with any of the outcome variables tested, whereas, cord BLL was a significant negative predictor of APGAR score only in boys. A significant proportion of pregnant women and their children in Kuwait have lead levels well above the safety limit, which is a matter of public health concern.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Sciences, College for Women, Kuwait University, Kuwait. abdurrahman.ahmad@ku.edu.kw
authors.forename: Abdur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.forename: Haila A G
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Al-Rashidi
authors.forename: Abdul-Rehman
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Khan
mesh_terms: D001034:Apgar Score; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007730:Kuwait / Q000453:epidemiology; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood*; D007855:Lead Poisoning / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D007854:Lead