Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36620238›Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in public health2022

A global perspective of correlation between maternal blood lead levels and risks of preeclampsia: An updated systematic review and meta-analysis.

Zixing Zhong, Qingmei Yang, Chu Li, Xiaohong Chen, Feifei Zhou

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in public health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.6field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Perinatal lead (Pb) exposure and alterations to amyloid beta and metabolic profiles in the brain.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Investigating the Dual Role of Trace and Toxic Elements in Pregnancy-Related Health Outcomes.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Zixing ZhongCenter for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College), Hangzhou, China.
Qingmei YangGraduate School, Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu, Anhui, China.
Chu LiThe Second Clinical College of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China.
Xiaohong ChenDepartment of Pediatrics, Central Hospital of Haining, Haining, Zhejiang, China.
Feifei ZhouCenter for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital (Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College), Hangzhou, China.
Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital · CNFirst People's Hospital of Nanning · CNHangzhou Medical College · CNZhejiang Chinese Medical University · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Preeclampsia (PE) is a specific hypertensive disorder in pregnancy. Lead (Pb) is a heavy metal that affects women's reproductive health. However, it is unclear whether lead exposure during can predispose maternal risk of developing preeclampsia. This systematic review and meta-analysis study aimed to explore the association. Methods: We searched studies from three databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Embase). Only case-control, cross-sectional, and cohort studies reporting maternal blood lead levels (BLL) and PE were included from database inception to 31st July 2022. Pregnant women with blood lead levels measured were eligible. Those healthy pregnant women who did not develop preeclampsia were assessed as comparators. Letters, comments, case reports, and reviews were excluded. Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) and its adaptive form were applied for assessment. The random-effects method (REM) was applied to calculate the standardized mean difference (SMD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Stata 16.0 and RevMan 5.3 were the software used for data extraction and analysis. Results: 25 studies out of 1,808 articles made the finalist for systematic reviews, of which 21 underwent further quantity analysis. A total of 1,533 preeclamptic women and 10,998 healthy pregnant controls were included in the meta-analysis. The overall result revealed that maternal lead exposure was significantly higher in women with preeclampsia (SMD: 1.06, 95% CI 0.69, 1.43); ( Conclusion: This study demonstrates that maternal lead exposure is associated with preeclampsia during pregnancy. The association is present even in low blood lead levels. The conclusion should be taken seriously and women should avoid unexpected exposure to a lead-containing environment as much as possible. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=347220, identifier: CRD42022347220.

Indexed as

Pre-EclampsiaCohort StudiesCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansLeadPregnancyLeadheavy metalshypertensive disorder complicating pregnancyleadPbpreeclampsia (PE)systematic review

Identifiers

PMID36620238
PMCPMC9816335
OpenAlexW4312175605

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.