الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Short stature is a common problem with worldwide concern nowadays. Idiopathic short stature is a challenging type of short stature as there is no known cause for it. Exposure to toxic metals like Lead and chromium in humans is rising in developing countries and poses substantial risks to environmental ecosystem systems, and human health and growth. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between lead and chromium hair levels in children with idiopathic short stature. Subjects and methods: The study included 100 children from Mansoura University Hospital and Mansoura Insurance Hospital; 50 children were previously diagnosed by Idiopathic short stature while the other 50 were children with normal stature as controls. All children were subjected to history taking, sociodemographic data collection including name, age, sex and residency, Height for age z-score calculation, and hair sample collection. Hair samples were analyzed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy for lead and chromium hair levels. Results: showed that the mean age of the control group was 9.30 ± 2.57 and 10.48 ± 2.4 for the test group. In the control group, lead level median was 5.8 (0.8 - 10.6), while chromium was 34.5 (21.8 - 63.9). In test group, lead level was 10.2 (IQR, 0.0 - 30.9), while chromium was 127.6 (22.7 - 265.0). Higher lead and chromium levels were significantly associated with ISS (p=0.046, p=0.001 respectively). Correlation between each of lead and chromium levels with the severity of Short stature was numerically detected but not statistically significant. Conclusion: Public health interventions are required to minimize the exposure of children to lead and chromium sources, as higher lead and chromium levels were significantly associated with ISS in a group of Egyptian children. |