Is chronic low-level lead exposure in early life an etiologic factor in Alzheimer's disease?

TY - JOUR

T1 - Is chronic low-level lead exposure in early life an etiologic factor in Alzheimer's disease?

AU - Prince, M

PY - 1998

Y1 - 1998

N2 - Few environmental risk factors for Alzheimer's disease have been identified. This lack of information may reflect the fact that salient factors affect most of the population in developed countries. Furthermore, the critical period of exposure may be earlier than hitherto suspected, during the first years of life, as the brain differentiates and develops. Exposure to lead at levels lower than those associated with evident toxicity causes mild intellectual impairment in childhood. I hypothesize that this may be one of the childhood exposures that also confers an additional risk for the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

AB - Few environmental risk factors for Alzheimer's disease have been identified. This lack of information may reflect the fact that salient factors affect most of the population in developed countries. Furthermore, the critical period of exposure may be earlier than hitherto suspected, during the first years of life, as the brain differentiates and develops. Exposure to lead at levels lower than those associated with evident toxicity causes mild intellectual impairment in childhood. I hypothesize that this may be one of the childhood exposures that also confers an additional risk for the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

M3 - Article

C2 - 9799170

SN - 1044-3983

VL - 9

SP - 618

EP - 621

JO - Epidemiology

JF - Epidemiology

IS - 6

ER -