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Blood lead concentrations and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in Korean children: a hospital-based case control study

Overview of attention for article published in BMC Pediatrics, September 2016
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Title
Blood lead concentrations and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in Korean children: a hospital-based case control study
Published in
BMC Pediatrics, September 2016
DOI 10.1186/s12887-016-0696-5
Pubmed ID
Authors

Jae Hong Park, Ju-Hee Seo, Young-Seoub Hong, Yu-Mi Kim, Je-Wook Kang, Jae-Ho Yoo, Hee Won Chueh, Jung Hyun Lee, Min Jung Kwak, Jeongseon Kim, Hae Dong Woo, Dong Woo Kim, Young Rong Bang, Byeong Moo Choe

Abstract

Because the developing brain of a child is vulnerable to environmental toxins, even very low concentration of neurotoxin can affect children's neurodevelopment. Lead is a neurotoxic heavy metal which has the harmful effect on the striatal-frontal circuit of brain. This area of the brain is known to be closely related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) pathophysiology. The primary objective of the present study was to investigate whether elevated blood lead concentration is a risk factor for ADHD. The secondary objective was to examine the association between blood lead concentration and symptom severity. We conducted a frequency-matched, hospital-based case-control study with 114 medically diagnosed ADHD cases and 114 controls. The participants were matched for age and sex. The diagnoses of ADHD were assessed with semi-structured diagnostic interviews. The participants completed the continuous performance test (CPT), and their parents completed the ADHD-rating scale (ADHD-RS). Blood lead concentrations were measured by using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry featuring Zeeman background correction. Children with ADHD exhibited blood lead concentrations that were significantly higher than those of the controls ( 1.90 ± 086 μg/dℓ vs. 1.59 ± 0.68 μg/dℓ, p = 0.003). The log transformed total blood lead concentration was associated with a higher risk of ADHD (OR: 1.60, 95 % CI: 1.04-2.45, p < 0.05). The analysis also revealed that the children with blood lead concentrations above 2.30 μg/dℓ were at a 2.5-fold (95 % CI: 1.09-5.87, p < 0.05) greater risk of having ADHD. After adjusting for covariates, our multivariate regression models indicated that blood lead concentrations were not significantly associated with ADHD-RS or CPT profiles among the ADHD cases. Even low blood lead concentrations are a risk factor for ADHD in children. This study warrants primary prevention policies to reduce the environmental lead burden. Future studies may be required to ascertain the effects of lead on symptom severity in ADHD.

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Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 46 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Unknown 46 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Master 7 15%
Student > Bachelor 7 15%
Student > Ph. D. Student 5 11%
Student > Doctoral Student 4 9%
Professor 3 7%
Other 10 22%
Unknown 10 22%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Medicine and Dentistry 12 26%
Psychology 5 11%
Nursing and Health Professions 5 11%
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 3 7%
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 2 4%
Other 6 13%
Unknown 13 28%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 26 September 2016.
All research outputs
#20,880,816
of 25,654,806 outputs
Outputs from BMC Pediatrics
#2,695
of 3,494 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#255,414
of 329,471 outputs
Outputs of similar age from BMC Pediatrics
#23
of 36 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,654,806 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 10th percentile – i.e., 10% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 3,494 research outputs from this source. They typically receive more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 8.0. This one is in the 15th percentile – i.e., 15% of its peers scored the same or lower than it.
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We're also able to compare this research output to 36 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one is in the 27th percentile – i.e., 27% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.