The pathology and pathogenesis of chronic lead nephropathy occurring in Queensland

Abstract

Many children who suffered acute lead poisoning in Queensland eventually died with contracted kidneys. In most cases the kidneys were granular and showed microscopically fibrosis, hypertensive vascular changes and "alterative glomerulitis". Clinically in these patients, hypertension and chronic renal insufficiency had always preceded death which was usually due to uraemia. In a minority of cases the kidneys showed the changes of benign hypertension but were unusually small; fibrosis and "alterative glomerulitis" were not present. Clinically these patients had had hypertension but minimal renal insufficiency and death was usually due to cerebral haemorrhage. The evidence indicates that lead caused severe damage to the kidney at the time of the lead intoxication by some mechanism other than hypertension. The sequence of events postulated comprises severe renal damage with destruction of glomeruli during childhood lead poisoning, disappearance of the destroyed tissue during childhood and adolescence, onset of hypertension in adolescence or early adult life, gradual onset and progress of chronic uraemia during which fibrosis and granularity developed. In milder cases the sequence is not complete because renal function has remained adequate.