Patient's question:
I have a friend whose son often complains of stomach pain. My friend took him to the hospital for a check-up. The doctor diagnosed it as excessive lead levels in the blood and prescribed many medications. But for some reason, I don’t understand why his blood would have excessive lead levels. What causes this? How can it be treated?Doctor's answer:
Lead is a heavy metal. Air pollution. Car exhaust. Some toys with bright colors also contain lead. Especially when children play outside and don't wash their hands before eating, it's easy for them to ingest it and it accumulates in the blood. It must be expelled through medication. High lead levels in children's blood are due to lead from the environment entering their bodies, causing elevated blood lead levels. For example, frequently inhaling car exhaust, eating lead-containing foods (like century eggs, popcorn, many puffed snacks, pickled foods, etc.), or accidentally putting toys (like playdough) or pencil lead in their mouths can all increase blood lead levels.