Is lead exposure the principal cause of essential hypertension?
Received 30 August 2001; accepted 19 December 2001.
Abstract
Lead is a ubiquitous toxin, known to have adverse effects on the body even at low levels of exposure. In this review we explore whether low lead may be the principal or a major contributory cause of essential hypertension, and whether removal of lead from the environment may eventually reduce both the overall incidence of hypertension and the increased incidence with aging.
aThe Burns and Allen Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, USA
bThe University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
cIndustrial Toxicology Research Centre, Lucknow, India
Correspondence to: Harvey C. Gonick MD, Nephrology Division, 995 West Tower, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA. Phone: 310-423-7880; Fax: 310-423-3061
ABSTRACT