This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Even low levels of lead exposure can increase the risk of strep throat in children, according to new research from the University at Buffalo.

Researchers examined medical record data on more than 13,000 children ages 14 or younger in Philadelphia from 2010–20.

(Lead exposure data were collected through routine blood lead screening. Medical records also were checked for a clinical diagnosis of strep throat or croup.)

Compared with children whose blood lead concentration was under 1 microgram per deciliter, which is below public health intervention thresholds, children with levels between 1 and 3.4 micrograms per deciliter had about 2.5 times the odds of being diagnosed with strep.

Children at or above 3.5 micrograms per deciliter—the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's threshold for taking public health action—had about 2.7 times the odds.

Higher lead concentrations were also associated with more frequent strep diagnoses. Researchers found no clear association between lead exposure and croup.

"This work is directly related to health inequities and structural barriers faced in many older cities, including Buffalo," says the study's corresponding author, Marina Oktapodas Feiler, assistant professor of epidemiology and environmental health in the UB School of Public Health and Health Professions (SPHHP). "Homes and other residences in these cities have historical lead paint that can chip, making dust and deteriorating windows specifically problematic."

Oktapodas Feiler, who is director of the school's Master of Public Health Concentration in Maternal and Child Health, adds, "Renters and those of lower income are disproportionately affected as they cannot maintain the homes or make appropriate renovations which remove lead."

Source link