The Association Between Arsenic Exposure and Cerebrovascular Disease-A Study in the Blackfoot Disease Endemic Area in Taiwan

Abstract

ISEE-0480 Background and Objective: Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that chronic arsenic exposure may cause various health effects, but previous studies on the association between arsenic exposure from drinking water and cerebrovascular diseases (CVD) in different regions in Taiwan yielded inconsistent results. The objective of this study is to evaluate the possible association between arsenic exposure and mortality of CVD in Taiwan with the data from the whole country, trying to solve the problem with a more complete database. Methods: We analyzed the national death registry data of Taiwan from 1971 to 2005. Two areas were defined as the exposed group: one is the blackfoot disease (BFD) endemic area, and the other is the Lan-Yang Basin (LYB) area. The arsenic levels in the drinking water in the BFD area were generally higher than those in the LYB area. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) adjusted for gender and age were calculated using the whole population in Taiwan and the population in the Chiayi-Tainan area as the reference populations respectively. Results: The standardized mortality rate of CVD in Taiwan decreased from 2.46/103 in 1971 to 0.63/103 in 2005. Women had lower rates than men, with SMR = 0.80. The exposure group had higher SMRs of CVD in comparison with the reference populations, with SMRs from 1.06 to 1.09 in men and 1.12 to 1.14 in women. The BFD endemic area had higher mortality rates of CVD than the LYB area, with SMR = 1.05 in men and SMR = 1.04 in women. Conclusion: In Taiwan, women had lower mortality rates of CVD, and the rate has been constantly decreasing in both genders from 1971 to 2005. Exposure to arsenic in drinking water is associated with a higher risk of CVD.