Iron deficiency (ID) has been reported to increase lead absorption. This relationship has been investigated in detail in children but not in adults. This study was designed to investigate whether blood lead levels are significantly higher in iron-deficient adults. ID-parameters (haemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, serum iron, total iron-binding capacity, iron-binding saturation, soluble transferrin receptors, washed zinc protoporphyrin and ferritin) together with whole blood lead were measured in three different adult groups - blood donors (n = 73), pregnant women (n =74) and haemodialysis patients (n = 72). Of a total of 219 subjects tested, 7.7% was found to have a lead level above 10 microg/dl (maximum 16 microg/dl). No association was found between blood lead level and ID [iron-deficient subjects (n: 139), mean: 5.6 microg/dl (SD: 3 microg/dl) and noniron-deficient subjects (n: 80), mean: 5.4 microg/dl (SD: 3 microg/dl)]. The results suggest that the inverse association between blood lead and serum iron in studies carried out on children does not occur in adults.

This study was conducted to explore possible correlation between smoking habit and thyroid volume and function in Jeddah. A total of 226 volunteers i.e. 128 male and 98 female were screened at Radiology Department King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital. They were categorized as smokers and nonsmokers; the number of smokers was 99 cases i.e. 48 Cigarette smokers and 51 Shisha smokers, and the non-smokers were 127 cases. The information was gathered via a questionnaire distributed at the radiology department. Ultrasonography of thyroid and thyroid function test were performed for 166 participants; and data were analyzed Using SPSS version 22 and Microsoft excel. The study was carried out based on random selection and findings revealed that most of the cases were in the age group between 20 to 30 years old, high body mass index (BMI) was 33.1 kg/m 2 in persons above 60 years old and the highest percentage smokers in the age group from 20 to 30 years (40.02%). Ultrasonography of thyroid showed 96 (58%) normal cases, 46 (28%) abnormal "solid" cases and 24 (14%) abnormal "cyst" cases. A lower proportion of cigarette and shisha smokers (15.4% and 5.6% respectively) had an enlarged thyroid gland compared to no cigarettes or shisha smokers (47.9% and 47.3% respectively). The difference between these frequencies was statistically significant (Chi-square = 9.446 and 11.424, p = 0.002 and p = 0.001 for cigarette and shisha smoking respectively). Consequently, it can be concluded from this research that there are no direct significant values correlating smoking habit to thyroid volume or function. However, it is always recommended not smoke due to other well-known threats.