OBJECTIVETo observe the injury of plumbism to the nerve system in children.

METHODSOne hundred children with plumbism which had no masculine body sign of nerve system were divided into two groups. Fifty of them were as controls, while others were treated by calcium. Fifty age and gender matched healthy children were selected as the normal group in order to compare with plumbism group. All of their auditory brainstem response (ABR), pure tone and distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) were examined.

RESULTSLatency period of wave V of the plumbism groups was longer than that of normal group. The difference between them was significant statistically (t =3.21, P <0.01). The interval between wave I and wave III of plumbism group was longer than that of normal group, but there was no difference between them (former: t = 2.06, P > 0.05; later: t = 1.64, P > 0.05). The interval between wave III and wave V and the interval between wave I and wave V of plumbism group was longer than that of normal group, and their difference was significant statistically (former: t = 7.30, P <0.01; later: t = 3.14, P < 0.01). The interval between wave I and wave III of plumbism group was longer than that of normal group, but there was no difference between them (t = 0.91, P > 0.05). The amplitude of wave I, wave III and wave V of plumbism group was lower than that of normal group, and their difference was significant statistically (I: t =3.20, P < 0.01; III: t=3.31, P < 0.01; V: t=3.41, P < 0.01). The auditory brainstem response, pure tone and DPOAE in all three groups had no obvious change after six months treatment (P >0.05).

CONCLUSIONSPlumbism may have potential clinical injury to nerve system. There has no obvious change of ABR after treatment by calcium. ABR may be a forepart examination to find the injury of plumbism to the nerve system.