Lead poisoning and pharmacological treatment

Abstract

Lead exposure and poisoning is a public health concern. Evidence of people with toxic level of lead in blood confirms that it is necessary to keep on working from a multidisciplinary approach. There should be a well-defined policy for the prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment of the harmful effects of lead. Children are the population at major risk, with high social impact consequences such as lower IQ and inadequate neurological development. There are four drugs used to treat chronic toxicity: sodium calcium edetate IV and IM, succimer (oral), dimercaprol IM, and penicillamine (oral). If we consider that the last one is the only authorized drug in our country, the problem grows bigger. This brief review offers information about lead exposure and poisoning, the recommended drug treatments and their market availability.