Özet:

Objective: Lead (Pb) is a heavy metal and causes dysfunction in hematopoietic, cardiovascular, renal and hepatic systems. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of lead exposure on serum vitamin B12 and folate levels. Methods: 944 patients who were referred to Ankara Occupational Disease Hospital between 2010 and 2014 for periodic examination and whose whole blood lead, serum vitamin B12 and folate levels were assessed are included in this study. 432 patients with whole blood lead levels over 10 μg/dL are defined as exposed group and 512 patients with lead levels below 10μg/dL are considered as control group. Vitamin B12 and folate levels were compared between two groups. Correlation analysis was also performed. Results: In the lead exposed group the median folate level was 6.3 ng/mL (3.60-17.46) and median vitamin B12 level was 310 pg/mL (180-854) where as folate level was 6.8 (3.60-19.67) ng/mL and median vitamin B12 level was 324 pg/mL (190-833) in the control group. The difference between two groups was statistically significant (p value: <0.001 for folate and 0.015 for vitamin B12). Lead levels correlated negatively with folate levels (r=-0.105; p=0.001). There was no correlation between lead and vitamin B12 (r=-0.061, p=0.062). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that serum folate and vitamin B12 concentrations were negatively associated with lead exposure. It may be important to keep sufficient levels of these micronutrients to prevent possible harmful effects of Pb exposure regarding hyperhomocysteinemia. Key words: Lead exposure, vitamin B12, folate

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