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7185922 
Journal Article 
Correlation of blood lead levels in children with austism specrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): A literature review 
Thach, JA; Ahn, R; Baskaran, N; Epstein, J; Gomathinayagam, A; Gupta, R; Afghani, B 
2017 
Yes 
Journal of Investigative Medicine
ISSN: 1081-5589
EISSN: 1708-8267 
65 
1 
255-255 
English 
WOS:000433055100366 
Purpose of Study Increased lead exposure has been associated with delayed and detrimental effects on children’s central nervous system. The objective of this review is to summarize the relationship between different lead levels and the risk of developmental disabilities such as attention deficit disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods Used A systematic literature review on PubMed and Google Scholar databases using the search terms: lead poisoning, children, blood lead levels, long term effects, development disorders and toxic levels was conducted. Only prospective studies of patients <18 years of age with diganosis of either ADHD or ASD and age matched controls were included in the analysis. Summary of Results Of nineteen initial results, only six studies met the inclusion criteria (see table 1). All studies included patients with clinical diagnosis of ADHD or ASD, questionnaires, and blood sampling of each patient. Three publications studied the effects of lead exposure and the risk of ADHD and three studied the effects of lead exposure and risk of ASD. Two studies were able to adjust for confounding factors. In 2 of 3 studies the blood lead levels were not significantly different in control versus ASD group while there was a significant difference in all studies involving ADHD patients. Conclusions Our review demonstrated that there is a correlation between increased lead levels and the development of ADHD in children. However, there was not correlation between higher blood lead levels and the development of ASD. A majority of the studies had limitations that included small sample size, difficulty finding matching control pairs and accounting for confounding variables. Further studies are needed to confirm the relationship between lead exposure and its association with various neurological disorders. 
Western Medical Research Conference 
Carmel, CA 
Jan 26-28, 2017