Abstract
Objective: Due to the rapid pace of industrialization and the high prevalence of addiction, toxicity caused by heavy metals, especially lead, has become one of the major health problems associated with high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, reliable information is critical to manage this condition. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 30 cadavers, suspected of lead poisoning. The hospital records and the results of anatomical investigations were studied. Data were collected in a researcher-made questionnaire and analyzed in SPSS Version 22. Results: The results showed a significant correlation between the pathological results of pulmonary autopsy and the duration of drug use (P= 0.01). Also, the pathological results of cardiac autopsy had significant correlations with age (P= 0.006) and blood lead level (P= 0.03). Moreover, significant correlations were found between the pathological results of liver autopsy and age (P=0.00), between the pathological results of brain autopsy and the route of drug administration (P=0.01), and between the pathological results of kidney autopsy and age (P=0.00). Most pathological changes were observed in the brain and kidney tissues. Conclusion: Lead poisoning does not cause any specific pathological changes in the liver, heart, brain, lung, or kidney tissues; however, these non-specific changes, alone or together, can lead to death
Highlights
Lead is one of the most important heavy metals, with significant toxic effects on all living organisms
Najari et al poisoning in Iran, we aimed to investigate lead poisoning assays in autopsy specimens
Cadavers suspected of lead poisoning were investigated in this study
Summary
Lead is one of the most important heavy metals, with significant toxic effects on all living organisms. It is the most abundant heavy metal with the widest distribution in the environment. It causes a wide range of lesions and abnormalities in living species, including humans. Both acute and chronic poisoning can occur through the skin, digestion, and respiration following lead distribution in soft tissues, especially the liver and the central nervous system (CNS), resulting in various manifestations, such as insomnia, hallucinations, delusions, seizures, and even death [3,4]. Its prevalence is almost 1%2% globally, which is much lower than the rates reported in Iran, especially in some rural areas, where it reaches up to 22% [6]
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