Analyzing the association between lead exposure and Alzheimer's disease in Karbala province

Abstract

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative illness that is rising in the older population. The disease is related with industrially produced hazardous substances.Long-term exposure to several metallic materials is a well-established etiological risk factor that has grown more prevalent as a result of the high rate at which human activities release substantial quantities of metals into the environment. Specifically, heavy metals are extremely harmful to the nervous system. Multiple studies have linked the toxicity of heavy metals such as mercury, lead, and cadmium to neurofibrillary tangles, amyloid beta peptide aggregation, and neuronal cell death. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the differences in Serum lead levels between AD patients and healthy subjects. Methods: This study was conducted on all patients with cognitive impairment who were referred to AL Husain Medical City
following a diagnosis by a professional psychiatric and neurological consultant in accordance with National Institute on Aging and Alzheimer's Association guidelines. Patients and controls were matched by age and gender. Serum lead levels were determined for both groups using flameless atomic absorption spectrometry (SHIMADZU AA-6300/Japan) . Results: The average values of serum lead levels in the patients and healthy controls were (19.13±19.11ppb) and (10.22±2.49ppb) respectively with showed differences of high
statistical significance (p< 0.001). Conclusion: In this work, serum lead levels were strongly related with AD.