Isfahan University of Medical Sciences Journal of Isfahan Medical School 1027-7595 43 820 2025 07 23 Study on the Correlation Between Blood Lead Levels (BLL) and Clinical Symptoms of Poisoning in Patients Who Are Oral Opium Users Study on the Correlation Between Blood Lead Levels (BLL) and Clinical Symptoms of Poisoning in Patients Who Are Oral Opium Users 703 711 33039 10.48305/jims.v43.i820.0703 FA Gholamali Dorooshi Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Toxicology, Clinical Toxicology Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran 0000-0003-2552-0961 Marjan Varmazyar Medical Student, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran Arman Otroshi Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical Toxicology, Clinical Toxicology Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran 0000-0001-7185-4562 Rokhsareh Meamar Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Toxicology, Clinical Toxicology Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran 0000-0002-4536-5113 Nastaran Eizadi-Mood Professor, Department of Clinical Toxicology, Clinical Toxicology Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran 0000-0001-9792-8160 Journal Article 2025 06 10 Background: In clinical observations it appeared that the clinical symptoms of lead poisoning in patients consuming opium orally were not consistent with their blood lead level (BLL). Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationship between BLL and clinical symptoms of poisoning in opium users. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the poisoning ward of Khorshid Hospital in Isfahan. Demographic information, clinical symptoms, and laboratory parameters at the time of admission were collected and analyzed using the Kruskal–Wallis test. Findings: More than 87% of patients had BLL above 70 μg/dL. When comparing the frequency distribution of clinical symptoms of lead poisoning among the three BLL groups, the frequency of abdominal pain (the most common symptom, 94.6%) differed significantly across different BLL levels (P = 0.03). In the comparison of age, vital signs and laboratory parameters among the three BLL groups, the pulse rate (PR) varied significantly at different BLL levels (P = 0.01), but no significant difference is observed for other variables. An increase in mean blood pressure, mean indices of aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, thyroxine and blood urea nitrogen was observed with increasing BLL. The mean parameters of hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration decreased with increasing BLL. Abdominal pain and anemia were observed in all three BLL groups. Conclusion: It is recommended that BLL screening be performed for early diagnosis and treatment of lead poisoning in opium users who present with gastrointestinal symptoms and anemia. Background: In clinical observations it appeared that the clinical symptoms of lead poisoning in patients consuming opium orally were not consistent with their blood lead level (BLL). Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationship between BLL and clinical symptoms of poisoning in opium users. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the poisoning ward of Khorshid Hospital in Isfahan. Demographic information, clinical symptoms, and laboratory parameters at the time of admission were collected and analyzed using the Kruskal–Wallis test. Findings: More than 87% of patients had BLL above 70 μg/dL. When comparing the frequency distribution of clinical symptoms of lead poisoning among the three BLL groups, the frequency of abdominal pain (the most common symptom, 94.6%) differed significantly across different BLL levels (P = 0.03). In the comparison of age, vital signs and laboratory parameters among the three BLL groups, the pulse rate (PR) varied significantly at different BLL levels (P = 0.01), but no significant difference is observed for other variables. An increase in mean blood pressure, mean indices of aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, thyroxine and blood urea nitrogen was observed with increasing BLL. The mean parameters of hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration decreased with increasing BLL. Abdominal pain and anemia were observed in all three BLL groups. Conclusion: It is recommended that BLL screening be performed for early diagnosis and treatment of lead poisoning in opium users who present with gastrointestinal symptoms and anemia.

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