Abstract
Atherosclerosis is a progressive inflammation in systemic vessels, and pesticide exposure has been emerging as its risk factor. This cross-sectional study investigated the association between pesticide exposure and the risk of atherosclerosis in a rural population in Korea using carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT). This study used dataset from the baseline survey of the Korea Farmers Cohort Study between November 2005 and January 2008, and the final analysis included 477 participants. Well-structured questionnaires were used to estimate pesticide exposure. CIMT ≥ 0.9 mm was established for carotid atherosclerosis. Multiple logistic regression analyses were undertaken to evaluate the association between pesticide exposure and atherosclerosis, adjusting demographic and health-related confounders. Even after adjustments, the increased risk of atherosclerosis was significantly associated with pesticide exposure, such as a lifetime history of farming (odds ratio [OR] 3.25 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.51–6.98), a history of using pesticide (OR 3.42 95% CI 1.63–7.16), using pesticide 10 times or more annually (OR 2.55 95% CI 1.21–5.39), and higher cumulative exposure index level (OR 3.63 95% CI 1.65–7.97). Further prospective studies are required to elucidate effects of pesticide exposure on the risk of atherosclerosis.
Highlights
Atherosclerosis is a systemic disorder that develops gradually and is characterized by chronic inflammation of the blood vessels [1], which may lead to fatal complications such as myocardial infarction or coronary artery disease [2]
This study is a part of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES), a populationbased prospective study aimed to identify risk factors of widespread chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and atherosclerosis
This study’s findings suggest that the increased risk of atherosclerosis was significantly associated with pesticide exposure using carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and pesticide exposure assessment based on questionnaires
Summary
Atherosclerosis is a systemic disorder that develops gradually and is characterized by chronic inflammation of the blood vessels [1], which may lead to fatal complications such as myocardial infarction or coronary artery disease [2]. Several risk factors for atherosclerosis include family history, aging, obesity, physical inactivity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia [3]. Pesticides exposure and atherosclerosis and Future Planning (2017R1A5A2015369), Republic of Korea
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