AI Article Synopsis
- The study assesses the long-term effects of low-level lead exposure in 60 former lead smelter workers in Brazil, focusing on their peripheral nervous system (PNS) health.
- Neurophysiological evaluations revealed various conditions, including lumbosacral radiculopathy, polyneuropathy, and carpal tunnel syndrome, with a significant number of participants showing abnormal sympathetic skin responses (SSR).
- Findings indicate chronic lead exposure can harm the PNS, particularly damaging unmyelinated small fibers, suggesting a need for further research on lead's effects on nerve health.
Article Abstract
The long-term effects of low-level lead intoxication are not known. The sympathetic skin response (SSR) was evaluated in a group of 60 former workers of a primary lead smelter, located in Santo Amaro, BA, Brazil. The individuals participating in the study were submitted to a clinical-epidemiological evaluation including questions related to potential risk factors for intoxication, complaints related to peripheral nervous system (PNS) involvement, neurological clinical examination, and also to electromyography and nerve conduction studies and SSR evaluation. The sample consisted of 57 men and 3 women aged 34 to 69 years (mean +/- SD: 46.8 +/- 6.9). The neurophysiologic evaluation showed the presence of lumbosacral radiculopathy in one of the individuals (1.7%), axonal sensorimotor polyneuropathy in 2 (3.3%), and carpal tunnel syndrome in 6 (10%). SSR was abnormal or absent in 12 cases, representing 20% of the sample. More than half of the subjects (53.3%) reported a history of acute abdominal pain requiring hospitalization during the period of work at the plant. A history of acute palsy of radial and peroneal nerves was reported by about 16.7 and 8.3% of the individuals, respectively. Mean SSR amplitude did not differ significantly between patients presenting or not the various characteristics in the current neurological situation, except for diaphoresis. The results suggest that chronic lead intoxication induces PNS damage, particularly affecting unmyelinated small fibers. Further systematic study is needed to more precisely define the role of lead in inducing PNS injury.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s0100-879x2007000100011 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Efficacy of Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoint Stimulation on Modulating Upper Extremity Sympathetic Skin Response in Alleviating Cancer Survivors With Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: A Propensity Score-Matched Cohort Study.
J Pain Res
January 2025
Department of Pain Management Center, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
Objective: Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common side effect of chemotherapy and it is currently intractable We compared the efficacy of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) against non-TEAS groups and investigated the variables that predict effective relief of upper extremity pain in cancer survivors with CIPN.
Methods: We retrospectively collected data of cancer survivors who developed CIPN between May 2017 to March 2022. All eligible CIPN patients were divided into TEAS group (received TEAS) and non-TEAS group (did not receive TEAS) in our department.
Renewed scientific interest in sympathetic modulation of muscle and neuromuscular junctions has spurred a flurry of new discoveries with major implications for motor diseases. However, the role sympathetic axons play in the persistent dysfunction that occurs after nerve injuries remains to be explored. Peripheral nerve injuries are common and lead to motor, sensory, and autonomic deficits that result in lifelong disabilities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe case of a woman with bilateral Dupuytren's contractures who developed CRPS-1 after fasciectomy with no relapse on subsequent collagenase clostridium histolyticum injection and manipulation of the other hand: Considerations for implementing a Budapest criteria checklist and assessing vasomotor instability by measuring differences in skin temperature.
J Hand Ther
January 2025
Saint Joseph, MI, USA. Electronic address:
Background: For patients who experience atypical neurogenic pain thought to be complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) after Dupuytren's fasciectomy early recognition has been reported to improve outcomes. Furthermore, given the progressive nature of Dupuytren's, individuals with a history of CRPS have been "at risk" for further surgical intervention.
Purpose: To familiarize therapists with a Budapest criteria (BC) checklist for early diagnosis of CRPS, describe how tracking sudomotor/vasomotor signs alongside differences in skin temperature were used to monitor vasomotor instability and intervention effectiveness for a patient with atypical pain after fasciectomy and to detail management of the same patient with a CRPS history who had collagenase clostridium histolyticum (CCH) injection of her other hand without exacerbating CRPS.
Association between skin sympathetic nerve activity and electrocardiogram alterations after subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Physiol Rep
January 2025
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan.
While autonomic dysregulation and repolarization abnormalities are observed in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), their relationship remains unclear. We aimed to measure skin sympathetic nerve activity (SKNA), a novel method to estimate stellate ganglion nerve activity, and investigate its association with electrocardiogram (ECG) alterations after SAH. We recorded a total of 179 SKNA data from SAH patients at three distinct phases and compared them with 20 data from controls.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPathophysiological Significance of α-Synuclein in Sympathetic Nerves: In Vivo Observations.
Neurology
February 2025
From the Autonomic Medicine Section, Clinical Neurosciences Program, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, Bethesda, MD.
Background And Objectives: Lewy body diseases (LBDs) such as Parkinson disease (PD) feature increased deposition of α-synuclein (α-syn) in cutaneous sympathetic noradrenergic nerves. The pathophysiologic significance of sympathetic intraneuronal α-syn is unclear. We reviewed data about immunoreactive α-syn, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH, a marker of catecholaminergic fibers), and the sympathetic neurotransmitter norepinephrine (NE) in skin biopsies from control participants and patients with PD, the related LBD pure autonomic failure (PAF), the non-LBD synucleinopathy multiple system atrophy (MSA), or neurologic postacute sequelae of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (neuro-PASC).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!