Lead and hyperactivity. Behavioral response to chelation: a pilot study.

Lead-chelating medication was used to treat 13 hyperkinetic school children whose blood and urine lead levels were in an elevated but "nontoxic" range. Six children with histories of etiologically relevant perinatal or developmental complications showed relatively little improvement. Seven other children with unremarkable histories, and for whom a lead etiology could thus be entertained, showed marked improvement. The authors conclude that lead may play an important role in the etiology of some cases of hyperactivity; lead-chelating agents may have a major place in the treatment of hyperactivity; and the medical workup of hyperactivity should include lead level measurements and careful consideration of other possible etiological factors.