Relationship between Abdominal Pain and Blood Lead Level

Background and Objective: Lead poisoning is a problem in Iranian society. The most common symptoms of chronic lead poisoning are abdominal pain, constipation, and dysphagia. In this study, the blood lead level (BLL) of the patients, who referred to Besat Hospital, Hamadan, Iran with non-traumatic abdominal pain was evaluated. Materials and Methods: This is a case-control study in which 120 patients with abdominal pain, who referred to ED were divided into two groups. The first group of patients without exposure to lead (control) and the second group with exposure to lead (case), and then BLL were measured. Results: Of 120 patients, 74 patients were male and 46 patients were female. The patients` mean age was 48.76 ± 17.12 years. The average BLL in the control group was 0.67 ± 1.38 μg/dL and in the case group was 1.61 ± 3.02 μg/dL (p 0.001). In the case group, 59 patients had a history of opium consumption and one was a building painter, whose average BLL was 1.63 ± 0.4 and 0 ± 0.3 μg/dL respectively. One patient from the control group and five patients from the case group had BLL higher than normal, but there was no statistical difference observed in both groups (p=0.207). Conclusion: lead poisoning among patients with abdominal pain, especially in opium addicts, should always be considered as a differential diagnosis.