TY - JOUR
T1 - Association between pb, cd, and hg exposure and liver injury among Korean adults
AU - Kim, Do Won
AU - Ock, Jeongwon
AU - Moon, Kyong Whan
AU - Park, Choong Hee
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding: This survey was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Research funded by the Ministry of Environment (MOE) of Korea (NIER-2017-01-01-001).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2021/7/1
Y1 - 2021/7/1
N2 - Background: Exposure to lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) has been reported to be associated with liver-related diseases. However, studies examining the association between heavy metal exposure and liver injury in a large population are scant and characterized by inconsistent results. This study aimed to evaluate the association between levels of heavy metal exposure and liver injury in the general population. Methods: Data for 2953 participants aged 19 years or more obtained from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) Cycle 3 (2015–2017) were used. The associations between levels of blood or urine heavy metals (Pb, Cd, and Hg) and liver function biomarkers [aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT)] were evaluated using multiple linear regression analysis. Results: Regarding the blood Pb (BPb), AST was higher in those of the 4th quartile, ALT was higher in those of the 2nd and 4th quartiles, and GGT was higher in those of the 3rd and 4th quartiles than in the 1st quartile. For urinary Cd (UCd), AST was higher in those of the 4th quartile; ALT was higher in those of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quartiles; and GGT was higher in the 4th quartile than in the 1st quartile. For the blood Hg (BHg), AST was higher in those of the 2nd and 4th quartile, ALT was higher in those of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quartiles; and GGT was higher in those of the 3rd and 4th quartiles than in the 1st quartile. There was no significant difference between urinary Hg (UHg) and liver function markers. Conclusion: Heavy metal exposure showed an association with liver injury among the general adult population in Korea. Further studies are required to clarify the relationship between heavy metals and liver injury.
AB - Background: Exposure to lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) has been reported to be associated with liver-related diseases. However, studies examining the association between heavy metal exposure and liver injury in a large population are scant and characterized by inconsistent results. This study aimed to evaluate the association between levels of heavy metal exposure and liver injury in the general population. Methods: Data for 2953 participants aged 19 years or more obtained from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) Cycle 3 (2015–2017) were used. The associations between levels of blood or urine heavy metals (Pb, Cd, and Hg) and liver function biomarkers [aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT)] were evaluated using multiple linear regression analysis. Results: Regarding the blood Pb (BPb), AST was higher in those of the 4th quartile, ALT was higher in those of the 2nd and 4th quartiles, and GGT was higher in those of the 3rd and 4th quartiles than in the 1st quartile. For urinary Cd (UCd), AST was higher in those of the 4th quartile; ALT was higher in those of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quartiles; and GGT was higher in the 4th quartile than in the 1st quartile. For the blood Hg (BHg), AST was higher in those of the 2nd and 4th quartile, ALT was higher in those of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quartiles; and GGT was higher in those of the 3rd and 4th quartiles than in the 1st quartile. There was no significant difference between urinary Hg (UHg) and liver function markers. Conclusion: Heavy metal exposure showed an association with liver injury among the general adult population in Korea. Further studies are required to clarify the relationship between heavy metals and liver injury.
KW - Epidemiology
KW - Heavy metals
KW - KoNEHS
KW - Liver function
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85108417548&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/ijerph18136783
DO - 10.3390/ijerph18136783
M3 - Article
C2 - 34202682
AN - SCOPUS:85108417548
SN - 1661-7827
VL - 18
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
IS - 13
M1 - 6783
ER -
