lead level in pregnant women suffering from pre-eclampsia in dakahlia, egypt

background: lead toxicity is a prevalent health problem in both developed and developing countries. one of the proposed mechanisms for lead-induced organ damage is oxidative stress. oxidative stress is well-associated with the pregnancy disorder, pre-eclampsia. exposure to lead may be one of the sources of the oxidative stress that leads to development of pre-eclampsia in pregnant women. objective: to test if blood lead level of pregnant women suffering from pre-eclampsia is higher than the normal limit. methods: using atomic absorption spectrophotometry, blood lead level was measured in 115 pregnant women suffering from pre-eclampsia and compared to its level in a comparison group of 25 healthy pregnant women in dakahlia governorate, egypt. results: the mean±sd blood lead level was 37.68±9.17 μg/dl in women with pre-eclampsia; the value in the comparison group was 14.5±3.18 μg/dl (p<0.001). conclusion: pre-eclampsia is significantly associated with a high blood lead level.