| Summary: | Background: Lead pollution is an important issue in
developing countries. It is caused by the disposal of motor
combustion products or drinking water where lead-based
plumbing pipes are still in use. Several studies have
reported that lead has negative effect on health, such as the
central nervous system, peripheral nerves, intelligence,
cardiovascular, hematopoietic system, kidney, digestive and
reproductive systems. Lead poisoning occurs in 49% of
children under 6 years old in the United States. Exposure to
lead in early life affects children's intelligence in which
278 African American children are affected with cognitive
impairment.
Aim: To determine the relationship between lead exposure from
motor vehicle fumes on the streets and cognitive impairment
in adolescents in DIY.
Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study. The samples
for this study were street adolescents, both male and female,
aged 17-24 years. The total sample were 55 people. Data was
taken from �Yayasan Pinggir Jalan (Girlan) Nusantara� in D. I
Yogykarta. Diagnosis of cognitive impairment was based on
MMSE and CDT. Several other variables were also examined
including : age, sex, duration of exposure, BMI, Blood
Pressure and duration of education. Data were analyzed using
univariate and bivariate analyzes to determine the
relationship between the observed variables.
Results: Of the 55 subjects, correlation test showed a
statistically significant weak positive correlation between
blood lead concentrations and MMSE scores (r = 0,2 - <0,4, p
< 0,05). Correlation tests between blood lead concentration
and CDT scores shows a a very weak positive correlation (r =
0,0 - <0,2) but is not stastically significant (p > 0,05).
Conclusion: Lead levels on DIY street adolescents did not
significantly affect MMSE and CDT scores. Another variable
that influenced cognitive impairment is drug abuse, time
spent on the streets, diastolic blood pressure, and duration
of education.
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