Table 2.

End organ damage caused by lead poisoning

Gastrointestinal	‘Lead colic’
	Anorexia, constipation, nausea and vomiting
	Hepatitis
Neurological	Peripheral neuropathy
	Cerebral oedema
	Behavioural change and acute psychosis
	With higher levels: encephalopathy, seizures, coma and eventually death
Haematological	Anaemia
	Haemolysis
Renal	Fanconi-like syndrome
	Chronic interstitial nephropathy
Cardiovascular	Myocarditis
	Hypertension (chronic exposure)
Developmental (paediatric)	Neurodevelopmental delay and learning difficulties
	Growth retardation
	Hearing impairment
Reproductive system	Men: low sperm count and abnormal sperm morphology
	Women: miscarriage, prematurity, low birth weight and contamination of breast milk
Other	Gout
	Gum discolouration