Blood Metal Research Articles

Association of maternal heavy metal exposure during pregnancy with isolated cleft lip and palate in offspring: Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS) cohort study.

Cleft lip and palate (cleft L/P) is one of the most common congenital anomalies and its etiology is assumed to be multifactorial. Recent epidemiological data involving a small number of participants suggested an association between perinatal exposure to heavy metals and cleft L/P in affected children. However, this association requires further investigation in a large cohort. This nested case-control study used a dataset of The Japan Environment and Children's Study, which is an ongoing research project to investigate the association between environmental factors and mother-child health. Participants were enrolled between 2011 and 2014. From the records of fetuses/children, we extracted data of isolated cleft L/P cases and matched children without cleft L/P at a ratio of 1:10. The exposures of interest were in utero exposure to four metals (mercury [Hg], lead [Pb], cadmium [Cd], and manganese [Mn]), which were sampled from mothers in the second/third trimester. Conditional logistic regression was used to assess the association between heavy metal exposure and isolated cleft L/P. Three sensitivity analyses were conducted to test the robustness of the findings, including the change in case definition and statistical methods. Of 104,062 fetal records involving both live-birth and stillbirth, we identified 192 children with isolated cleft L/P and 1,920 matched controls. Overall, the blood metal levels were low (for example, median Pb level was 5.85, 6.22, and 5.75 μg/L in the total cohort, cases, and controls, respectively). Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that levels of none of the four heavy metals in the mother's blood during pregnancy were associated with the risk of cleft L/P in offspring; the adjusted odds ratios (per 1 μg/L increase) with 95% intervals were 0.96 (0.91-1.03), 1.01 (0.94-1.08), 1.00 (0.61-1.63) and 1.00 (0.97-1.03) for Hg, Pb, Cd and Mn, respectively. The results were consistent in all sensitivity analyses. Exposure to these four metals during pregnancy was not associated with isolated cleft L/P at the low exposure level in our cohort.

Causal relationships between blood calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, selenium, phosphorus, copper, and lead levels and multisystem disease outcomes in over 400,000 Caucasian participants

Metal elements have been associated with a wide range of clinical outcomes. The available epidemiological evidence for these associations is often inconsistent and suffers from confounding and reverse causation. We aimed to explore the broad clinical effects of varying blood metal element levels and possible underlying mechanisms. We performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis by using metal element-associated genetic loci as instrumental variable to evaluate the causal associations between blood metal element levels and 1050 disease outcomes in a UK Biobank cohort. A total of 408,910 White British participants were enrolled in the analysis. We further used the metal element-related genes and disease-related genes to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Eight metal elements were associated with 63 diseases in total. Notably, we found nine pairs of suggestive evidence between two different metal elements for the same disease. Selenium and lead share some of the associated clinical outcomes, including diabetes mellitus, type 2 diabetes, lymphoid leukemia, and acute pharyngitis. Lead and zinc share the associated disease of acquired hypothyroidism. Iron and copper share the associated disease of arthropathies. Copper and zinc share the associated disease of occlusion of cerebral arteries. Calcium and zinc share the associated disease of arthropathies. In addition, the PPI network provided potential links between metal elements and disease outcomes at the genetic level. Our MR study of eight metal elements comprehensively characterized their shared and unique clinical effects, highlighting their potential causal roles in multiple diseases. Given the modifiable nature of blood metal elements and the potential for clinical interventions, these findings warrant further investigation.

Biomonitoring of exposure to Great Lakes contaminants among licensed anglers and Burmese refugees in Western New York: Toxic metals and persistent organic pollutants, 2010-2015.

Between 2010 and 2015, the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) conducted a biomonitoring program to gather exposure data on Great Lakes contaminants among licensed anglers and Burmese refugees living in western New York who ate locally caught fish. Four hundred and nine adult licensed anglers and 206 adult Burmese refugees participated in this program. Participants provided blood and urine samples and completed a detailed questionnaire. Herein, we present blood metal levels (cadmium, lead, and total mercury) and serum persistent organic pollutant concentrations [polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE), and trans-nonachlor]. Multiple linear regression was applied to investigate the associations between analyte concentrations and indicators of fish consumption (locally caught fish meals, store-bought fish meals, and consuming fish/shellfish in the past week). Licensed anglers consumed a median of 16 locally caught fish meals and 22 store-bought fish meals while Burmese refugees consumed a median of 106 locally caught fish meals and 104 store-bought fish/shellfish meals in the past year. Compared to the general U.S. adult population, licensed anglers had higher blood lead and mercury levels; and Burmese refuges had higher blood cadmium, lead, and mercury, and higher serum DDE levels. Eating more locally caught fish was associated with higher blood lead, blood mercury, and serum ∑PCBs concentrations among licensed anglers. Licensed anglers and Burmese refugees who reported fish/shellfish consumption in the past week had elevated blood mercury levels compared with those who reported no consumption. Among licensed anglers, eating more store-bought fish meals was also associated with higher blood mercury levels. As part of the program, NYSDOH staff provided fish advisory outreach and education to all participants on ways to reduce their exposures, make healthier choices of fish to eat, and waters to fish from. Overall, our findings on exposure levels and fish consumption provide information to support the development and implementation of exposure reduction public health actions.

Effects of e-waste exposure on biomarkers of coronary heart disease (CHD) and their associations with level of heavy metals in blood.

Excess heavy metals increase the risk of various diseases. Electronic waste (e-waste) is a potential route to heavy metal exposure, and Taizhou is a large e-waste dismantling area in China. In this study, we acquire blood samples from residents living near an e-waste recycling area (exposed group) and other residents in a selected reference area (reference group) for a comparative study in Taizhou in December 2017. Seven heavy metals, including cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), tin (Sn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and lead (Pb), are quantitatively determined in all blood samples. It is discovered that the levels of Co, Ni, Sn, and Pb in the exposed group are higher than those in the reference group. Additionally, two crucial biomarkers of coronary heart disease (CHD), i.e., troponin (Tn) and myeloperoxidase (MPO), and two biomarkers of oxidative stress, i.e., malondialdehyde (MDA) and 8-isoprostane (8-I), are measured. We discovered that the levels of these indicators in the exposed group are significantly higher than those in the reference group. Meanwhile, both the Spearman correlation and multiple linear regression analysis show that Ni is positively correlated with Tn, MPO, 8-I, and MDA. Hence, we hypothesize that exposure to e-waste increases the risk of CHD and that Ni is an important contributor to the initiation of the disease.

Long-term blood metal ion levels and clinical outcome after Birmingham hip arthroplasty.

Our aim was to assess long-term metal ion level changes and clinical outcome in patients with a Birmingham hip arthroplasty. For the purpose of this study, we identified all BHR hip resurfacing arthroplasty (HRA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) operations performed in Turku University Hospital. A random coefficient model was used to compare the change between the first and last metal ion measurement. A Kaplan-Meier estimator was used to assess the survivorship of the BHR HRA and BHR THA with metal related adverse events (pseudotumor, elevated metal ions above the safe upper limit, revision due to metallosis), or revision due to any reason as endpoints with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). BHR HRA was used in 274 hips (233 patients). In addition, we identified 38 BHR-Synergy THAs (38 patients). Operations were performed between 2003 and 2010. Median follow-up time was 14 years for BHR HRA (range: 0.6-17) and 11 years for BHR THA (range: 4.7-13). In the BHR HRA group, geometric means of Cr and Co levels decreased from 2.1 to 1.6 ppb and 2.4 to 1.5 ppb, respectively, during a 3.0-year measurement interval. Metal ion levels in the BHR THA group did not show notable increase. The survivorship of BHR HRA was 66% in 16 years and 34% for BHR THA at 12 years for any metal-related adverse event. Patients with a Birmingham hip device do not seem to benefit from frequent repeated metal ion measurements. The amount of patients with metal-related adverse events was relatively high, but many of them did not require surgery.

Maternal blood metal concentrations are associated with matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) among pregnant women in Puerto Rico

Background/AimMatrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are important regulators of uterine remodeling, a critical process for healthy pregnancies, and studies have revealed a link between an imbalance in MMPs and adverse birth outcomes. Toxicological studies have indicated that exposure to heavy metals can alter the levels of inflammatory cytokines, including MMPs. Despite growing evidence, the clear association between heavy metal exposure and MMPs has yet to be explored extensively in human populations. To have a better understanding of the association, in this study, we assessed associations between maternal blood metal levels with MMPs among 617 pregnant women in the Puerto Rico PROTECT birth cohort. MethodsWe measured blood concentrations for 11 metals in the first and/or second trimester of pregnancy using ICP-MS. MMPs (MMP1, MMP2, and MMP9) were quantified using a customized Luminex assay. Linear mixed effects models (LMEs) were used to regress MMPs on metals and included random intercepts for study participants to account for correlated repeated outcome measures. Fetal sex effects were estimated using interaction terms between metal exposure variables and fetal sex indicators. ResultsWe observed significant associations between cesium, manganese, and zinc with all the MMPs that were measured. We also observed differences in metal-MMPs associations by fetal sex. Cobalt was positively associated with MMP1 only in women with male fetuses, and cesium was negatively associated with MMP1 only in women with female fetuses. MMP2 had significant associations with maternal blood metal concentrations only in women with female fetuses. ConclusionCertain metals were significantly associated with MMPs that are responsible for uterine remodeling and healthy pregnancies. Most of these associations differed by fetal sex. This study highlighted significant metal-MMPs associations that may inform research on new avenues for understanding heavy metal-induced adverse birth outcomes and the development of diagnostic tools.

Association between blood metals mixtures concentrations and cognitive performance, and effect modification by diet in older US adults.

Background:Chronic exposure to heavy metals has been associated with adverse neurological outcomes in older adults. Inflammatory processes are suspected as an underlying pathway by which metals exert their neurotoxicity. In parallel, a diet rich in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory components may protect against chronic inflammation.Objectives:We examined the associations of blood concentrations of lead, cadmium, and manganese as a mixture with cognitive performance in older US adults and potential modification of these associations by diet as measured by the Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015) and the Adapted Dietary Inflammatory Index (ADII).Methods:We used data on 1,777 adults ≥60 years old from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES; 2011–2014). We derived the ADII and the HEI-2015 from two nonconsecutive 24-hour diet recalls. Cognitive performance was measured by the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease (CERAD) Word Learning subtest, the animal fluency test, and the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST). We also constructed a composite z-score reflecting overall cognitive performance. We used quantile g-computation to evaluate the joint associations of a mixture of metals with cognitive performance test scores. We also evaluated effect modification by sex and diet quality indices using Cochran Q tests.Results:The median (interquartile range) of blood metals were 0.38 μg/L (0.35), 14.70 μg/L (11.70), and 8.74 μg/L (4.06) for cadmium, lead, and manganese, respectively. Increasing blood concentrations of all metals by one quartile was associated with a decrease in overall cognitive performance (–0.04; 95% confidence interval [CI] = –0.09, 0.02), CERAD (–0.04; 95% CI = –0.12, 0.03), animal fluency (–0.02; 95% CI, –0.11, 0.06), and DSST (–0.05; 95% CI = –0.11, 0.02) test scores. These associations were more pronounced in adults with high pro-inflammatory or low-diet quality and null or positive though imprecise associations in participants with a high anti-inflammatory. These associations also varied by sex with inverse associations in men and positive associations in women.Conclusions:Our findings suggest that adherence to an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory diet may prevent blood metals adverse cognitive effects among older adults. If confirmed, strategies based on diet could provide a potential complementary and efficient approach to counteract effects of environmental pollutants.

Metal Articulations as a Source of Total Hip Arthroplasty Pain

The consensus systematic risk stratification algorithm from the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and The Hip Society summarizes clinical challenges in evaluation and treatment of metal-on-polyethylene total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients with adverse local tissue reaction (ALTR) due to mechanically assisted crevice corrosion (MACC), reviews up-to-date evidence, and identifies the areas for future research in order to provide a useful resource for orthopedic surgeons providing care to these patients. A painful THA has various intrinsic and extrinsic causes. ALTR is one of the intrinsic causes in patients with painful THA. The occurrence of ALTR due to MACC at modular junctions is likely to be multifactorial, including implant, surgical, and patient factors. Therefore, a systematic evaluation needs to involve a focused clinical history, detailed physical examination, laboratory tests, and imaging in order to identify potential differential diagnoses. There should be a low threshold to perform a systematic evaluation of patients with painful non–metal-on-metal THA, including patients with metal-on-polyethylene THA, and modular dual-mobility THA with the CoCr metal acetabular insert, as early recognition and diagnosis of ALTR due to MACC will facilitate initiation of appropriate treatment prior to significant adverse biological reactions. Specialized tests such as blood metal analysis and metal artifact reduction sequence magnetic resonance imaging are important modalities in evaluation and management of ALTR in patients with painful THA.

Inflammatory tissue reactions around aseptically loose cemented hip prostheses: A retrieval study of the Spectron EF stem with Reflection All-Poly acetabular cup.

The cemented Spectron EF stem in combination with the cemented non‐crosslinked Reflection All‐Poly cup showed a high rate of mid‐term aseptic loosening. However, the failure mechanisms are not fully known. We assessed the inflammatory tissue reactions and wear particles in periprosthetic tissues, implant wear and blood metal ion levels in 28 patients with failed implants. Histological analysis showed a macrophage pre‐dominant pattern with randomly distributed lymphocytes, with various amounts of neutrophils and giant cells. The number of different cell types in the tissue samples from patients in the cup group and in the stem group was similar. Wear particles, mainly ZrO2, CoCrMo, and polyethylene particles of different sizes and shapes, were associated with macrophages/giant cells, and total particle load/mm2 was higher in cases of stem loosening. The Spectron EF stems were heavily worn, abraded, and polished. Stem abrasion correlated with metal ion concentrations in blood. The median polyethylene wear rate of the Reflection cups was 0.23 mm/year. The high proximal roughness of the Spectron EF stem resulted in excessive cement wear during loosening. The resulting inflammatory tissue responses to the degradation products both from the cup and the stem led to massive osteolysis and subsequent implant loosening.

Effect of exposures to mixtures of lead and various metals on hypertension, pre-hypertension, and blood pressure: A cross-sectional study from the China National Human Biomonitoring

We aimed to explore the effects of mixtures of lead and various metals on blood pressure (BP) and the odds of pre-hypertension (systolic blood pressure (SBP) 120–139 mmHg, and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) 80–89 mmHg) and hypertension (SBP/DBP ≥140/90 mmHg) among Chinese adults in a cross-sectional study. This study included 11,037 adults aged 18 years or older from the 2017–2018 China National Human Biomonitoring. Average BP and 13 metals (lead, antimony, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, thallium, chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, manganese, nickel, selenium, and tin) in blood and urine were measured and lifestyle and demographic data were collected. Weighted multiple linear regressions were used to estimate associations of metals with BP in both single and multiple metal models. Weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression was performed to assess the relationship between metal mixture levels and BP. In the single metal model, after adjusting for potential confounding factors, the blood lead levels in the highest quartile were associated with the greater odds of both pre-hypertension (odds ratio (OR): 1.56, 95% CI: 1.22–1.99) and hypertension (OR:1.75, 95% CI: 1.28–2.40) when compared with the lowest quartile. We also found that blood arsenic levels were associated with increased odds of pre-hypertension (OR:1.31, 95% CI:1.00–1.74), while urinary molybdenum levels were associated with lower odds of hypertension (OR:0.68, 95% CI:0.50–0.93). No significant associations were found for the other 10 metals. WQS regression analysis showed that metal mixture levels in blood were significantly associated with higher SBP (β = 1.56, P < 0.05) and DBP (β = 1.56, P < 0.05), with the largest contributor being lead (49.9% and 66.8%, respectively). The finding suggests that exposure to mixtures of metals as measured in blood were positively associated with BP, and that lead exposure may play a critical role in hypertension development.

REGULATION OF THE MACROELEMENT METABOLISM IN COWS DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF HIGHER NERVOUS ACTIVITY

REGULATION OF THE MACROELEMENT METABOLISM IN COWS DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF HIGHER NERVOUS ACTIVITY

Associations of Childhood and Perinatal Blood Metals with Children's Gut Microbiomes in a Canadian Gestation Cohort.

Background:The gut microbiome is important in modulating health in childhood. Metal exposures affect multiple health outcomes, but their ability to modify bacterial communities in children is poorly understood.Objectives:We assessed the associations of childhood and perinatal blood metal levels with childhood gut microbiome diversity, structure, species, gene family-inferred species, and potential pathway alterations.Methods:We assessed the gut microbiome using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomic sequencing in stools collected from 6- to 7-year-old children participating in the GESTation and Environment (GESTE) cohort study. We assessed blood metal concentrations [cadmium (Cd), manganese (Mn), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), selenium (Se)] at two time points, namely, perinatal exposures at delivery () and childhood exposures at the 6- to 7-y follow-up (). We used multiple covariate-adjusted statistical models to determine microbiome associations with continuous blood metal levels, including linear regression (Shannon and Pielou alpha diversity indexes), permutational multivariate analysis of variance (adonis; beta diversity distance matrices), and multivariable association model (MaAsLin2; phylum, family, species, gene family-inferred species, and pathways).Results:Children’s blood Mn and Se significantly associated with microbiome phylum [e.g., Verrucomicrobiota (, ; , , respectively)] and children’s blood Mn significantly associated with family [e.g., Eggerthellaceae (, )]-level differences. Higher relative abundance of potential pathogens (e.g., Flavonifractor plautii), beneficial species (e.g., Bifidobacterium longum, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii), and both potentially pathogenic and beneficial species (e.g., Bacteriodes vulgatus, Eubacterium rectale) inferred from gene families were associated with higher childhood or perinatal blood Cd, Hg, and Pb (). We found significant negative associations between childhood blood Pb and acetylene degradation pathway abundance (). Finally, neither perinatal nor childhood metal concentrations were associated with children’s gut microbial inter- and intrasubject diversity.Discussion:Our findings suggest both long- and short-term associations between metal exposure and the childhood gut microbiome, with stronger associations observed with more recent exposure. Future epidemiologic analyses may elucidate whether the observed changes in the microbiome relate to children’s health. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP9674

Blood Metal Mixtures with Longitudinal Changes in Lipid Profile: Findings from the Manganese-Exposed Workers Healthy Cohort

Blood Metal Mixtures with Longitudinal Changes in Lipid Profile: Findings from the Manganese-Exposed Workers Healthy Cohort

Potential Factors Affecting the Blood Metal Concentrations of Reproductive-Age Women in Taiwan

Potential Factors Affecting the Blood Metal Concentrations of Reproductive-Age Women in Taiwan

Ribosomal DNA Copy Number Associated with Blood Metal Levels in School-Age Children: A Follow-Up Study on a Municipal Waste Incinerator in Zhejiang, China

Ribosomal DNA Copy Number Associated with Blood Metal Levels in School-Age Children: A Follow-Up Study on a Municipal Waste Incinerator in Zhejiang, China

Potential Factors Affecting the Blood Metal Concentrations of Reproductive-Age Women in Taiwan

Potential Factors Affecting the Blood Metal Concentrations of Reproductive-Age Women in Taiwan

Levels of toxic and essential metals in maternal cord blood and anthropometry at birth: a pilot study

Background Anthropometric parameters at birth are important indicators of child vulnerability to the risk of childhood illness, and consequently, the chance of survival and risk of diseases late in life. The aim of this study was to investigate correlations between toxic (aluminium, antimony, arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury) and essential metals (copper, manganese, selenium and zinc) in maternal and umbilical cord blood samples, with newborn anthropometric parameters in a predominantly agricultural community of Ebony State, Nigeria. Methods Questionnaires were administered to 60 pregnant women at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Abakaliki, South-East Nigeria, to collect demographic information and lifestyle during pregnancy. In addition, we measured several anthropological parameters of newborns, including head circumference, birth weight and birth length. Furthermore, cord and maternal blood samples were analysed by the Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). Results Most metals had a strong correlation between maternal and cord blood. Maternal characteristics like sleeping pattern, gestation age at delivery and maternal weight significantly predicted 76% variations in baby weight. Maternal blood aluminium was inversely correlated with body weight (r=-0.61) and birth length (r=-0.61). Gestation age at delivery, maternal weight and baby weight were strong predictors of the baby length. Toxic metals were associated with altered anthropometric parameters at birth, with varying contributions to the altered anthropometric outcomes. Conclusions Besides the negative effect of toxic metals on newborn anthropometry, we also detected interesting interactions between metals; maternal exposure to lead negatively correlates with manganese and zinc in the cord blood, while maternal exposure to aluminium was positively correlated with copper. These results contribute to the broader understanding of the environmental effects on maternal and child health.

Associations of blood and urinary heavy metals with rheumatoid arthritis risk among adults in NHANES, 1999–2018

Heavy metals exposure has been widely recognized as a risk factor for human health. However, limited information is available about the impacts of heavy metals on rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Herein, we estimated the associations of 3 blood and 11 urinary metals with the risk of RA among 49830 U.S. adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 1999–2018. In the single-exposure model, blood cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), urinary Cd, Pb, antimony (Sb), tungsten (Tu), and uranium (Ur) were identified to be positively associated with RA risk. Furthermore, weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, quantile-based g computation (qgcomp), and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) analyses consistently showed that both blood and urinary metals-mixed exposure were positively correlated with the risk of RA, and highlighted that Cd and Pb were responsible for the outcomes. Such associations were more evident in the young and middle-aged population. These findings indicated that exposure to heavy metals increased RA risk, and advanced the identification of risk factors for RA.

Environmental contamination with metals as a risk factor causing developing autoimmune thyroiditis in children in zones influenced by emissions from metallurgic enterprises

Chemical environmental factors trophic for the endocrine system and its organs produce negative influence on it that becomes apparent through growing incidence and pathomorphism of endocrine diseases. Our test group was made up of 102 children with diagnosed autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) who were chronically exposed to metals (lead, manganese, nickel, chromium, and zinc) being components in emissions from metallurgic enterprises in Perm region. Our reference group included 46 children with AIT who lived beyond zones influenced by the aforementioned enterprises in areas with the sanitary-hygienic situation being relatively favorable. We comparatively analyzed the results of clinical and ultrasound examinations that focused on evaluating children’s thyroidal and immune state. A growth in incidence with thyroiditis amounted to 63.6 % on the test territory over 10 years and it was 1.6 times higher than on average in the region (40.8 %); there was no growth in the indicator detected on the reference territory. Concentrations of chromium, nickel, lead, zinc, and manganese higher than regional background level were 1.7–5.5 times more frequently detected in blood of children from the test group against the reference one. A number of AIT cases was higher among exposed boys (by 2.0 times, p = 0.070); exposed children also had higher Ig A, M, and G contents in blood serum (by up to 2.9 times, p = 0.015–0.056), higher TSH levels (by 2.0 times, p = 0.096), and lower free T4 contents (by 5.4 times, p = 0.057). Diffuse damage to the thyroid gland was by 1.3 times more frequent under exposure to adverse factors created by metallurgic production; AIT combined with other diseases was also more frequent (p = 0.041). Rates and growth in incidence of thyroid gland diseases and thyroiditis are by 1.3–2.3 times higher among children and teenagers living on territories where metallurgic enterprises are located against the same indicators on territories where sanitary-hygienic situation is relatively favorable. We detected less apparent gender-related differences in AIT frequency, a greater number of improper thyroidal state, elevated risks of diffuse changes in the thyroid gland and activation of humoral immune response that was by 2.2–3.4 times more frequent together with concomitant damage to other systems under elevated contents of metals in blood.

Внешнесредовая контаминация металлами как фактор риска развития аутоиммунного тиреоидита у детей в зонах влияния выбросов металлургических предприятий

Chemical environmental factors trophic for the endocrine system and its organs produce negative influence on it that becomes apparent through growing incidence and pathomorphism of endocrine diseases. Our test group was made up of 102 children with diagnosed autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT) who were chronically exposed to metals (lead, manganese, nickel, chromium, and zinc) being components in emissions from metallurgic enterprises in Perm region. Our reference group included 46 children with AIT who lived beyond zones influenced by the aforementioned enterprises in areas with the sanitary-hygienic situation being relatively favorable. We comparatively analyzed the results of clinical and ultrasound examinations that focused on evaluating children’s thyroidal and immune state. A growth in incidence with thyroiditis amounted to 63.6 % on the test territory over 10 years and it was 1.6 times higher than on average in the region (40.8 %); there was no growth in the indicator detected on the reference territory. Concentrations of chromium, nickel, lead, zinc, and manganese higher than regional background level were 1.7–5.5 times more frequently detected in blood of children from the test group against the reference one. A number of AIT cases was higher among exposed boys (by 2.0 times, p = 0.070); exposed children also had higher Ig A, M, and G contents in blood serum (by up to 2.9 times, p = 0.015–0.056), higher TSH levels (by 2.0 times, p = 0.096), and lower free T4 contents (by 5.4 times, p = 0.057). Diffuse damage to the thyroid gland was by 1.3 times more frequent under exposure to adverse factors created by metallurgic production; AIT combined with other diseases was also more frequent (p = 0.041). Rates and growth in incidence of thyroid gland diseases and thyroiditis are by 1.3–2.3 times higher among children and teenagers living on territories where metallurgic enterprises are located against the same indicators on territories where sanitary-hygienic situation is relatively favorable. We detected less apparent gender-related differences in AIT frequency, a greater number of improper thyroidal state, elevated risks of diffuse changes in the thyroid gland and activation of humoral immune response that was by 2.2–3.4 times more frequent together with concomitant damage to other systems under elevated contents of metals in blood.