Abstract 16885: Exposure to Heavy Metals Increases Cardiovascular Risk by Elevation of Serum Lipid Levels- a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Based Study

Abstract

Introduction: Heavy metals, defined as metals with densities higher than 5g/cm3, can interact with various physiological processes in the body with cardiovascular consequences. We sought to gain a better understanding of the relationship between serum levels of heavy metals and serum total and LDL-cholesterol. Hypothesis: Serum total and LDL-cholesterol may be related to serum levels of heavy metals. Methods: a Cross-sectional survey using the NHANES 2009-2012 database. Age, Gender, were considered as covariates. Serum total cholesterol (TC; normal <200 mg/dl) and LDL cholesterol (LDL-C; normal < 100 mg/dl) were related to levels of lead, cadmium, and mercury. Results: We divided subjects into three tertiles, T1, T2 and T3 based on levels of heavy metals. The exposure for heavy metals was significantly different across all age groups and gender (P<0.0001) therefore we adjusted for these variables. There was a significant difference in the level of LDL-C and TC from the first to the third tertile for lead with progressively increasing values (P <0.0001). After adjusting for age and sex, the odds of having a higher TC was higher in T3 for lead when compared with T1 (OR 1.567,95CI1.376-1.786), the odds were also higher in T3 for mercury (OR 1.730,95CI 1.512-1.981) and cadmium (OR 1.412, 95CI1.184-1.700). Concerning LDL-C, the odds of having a higher LDL was more in T3 for lead when compared to T1( OR 1.225, 95CI 0.835-1.739), also the odds of having a higher LDL-C was higher in T2 for mercury (OR 1.233, 95CI 1.004-1.515). Compared to the reference group, the odds of having a higher TC level was statistically significant (p < 0.01) in T3 for all the metals studied, and the odds of having a higher LDL cholesterol was more in the second tertile for mercury (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Our study demonstrates increasing serum levels of heavy metals are significantly associated with increasing TC and LDL-C. This, in turn, may be associated with cardiovascular consequences in populations exposed to heavy metals such as areas with natural disaster water crises raising the consideration of screening for heavy metals as a risk for hyperlipidemia and cardiovascular disease.