Renal function in relation to low-level environmental lead exposure

Blerim Mujaj, Wen-Yi Yang, Zhen-Yu Zhang, Fang-Fei Wei, Lutgarde Thijs, Peter Verhamme, Jan A. Staessen*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Background Numerous studies suggested that occupational or environmental exposure to lead adversely affects renal function. However, most studies lost relevance because of the substantially lower current environmental lead exposure and all relied on serum creatinine to estimate glomerular filtration. We investigated the association of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), estimated from serum creatinine, cystatin C or both, with blood lead (BPb) using the baseline measurements of the ongoing Study for Promotion of Health in Recycling Lead (SPHERL; NCT02243904) in newly hired workers prior to significant occupational lead exposure.

Methods Among 447 men (participation rate, 82.7%), we assessed the association of eGFR and the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) with BPb across thirds of the BPb distribution using linear regression analysis. Fully adjusted models accounted for age, blood pressure, body mass index, the waist-to-hip ratio, smoking, the total-to-high-density-lipoprotein ratio, plasma glucose, serum -glutamyltransferase and antihypertensive drug treatment.

Results Age averaged 28.7 (SD, 10.2) years (range, 19.1-31.8). Geometric mean BPb concentration was 4.34 g/dL (5th-95th percentile interval, 0.9-14.8). In unadjusted and adjusted analyses, eGFR estimated from serum creatinine [mean (SD), 105.26 (15.2) mL/min/1.73 m(2)], serum cystatin C [mean (SD), 127.8 (13.8) mL/min/1.73 m(2)] or both [mean (SD), 111.9 (14.8) mL/min/1.73 m(2)] was not associated with BPb (P 0.36), whereas ACR [geometric mean, 4.32mg/g (5th-95th percentile interval, 1.91-12.50)] was lower with higher BPb.

Conclusions At the BPb levels observed in this study, there was no evidence for an association between renal function and lead exposure.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)941-946
Number of pages6
JournalNephrology Dialysis Transplantation
Volume34
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2019

Keywords

  • BLOOD LEAD
  • CADMIUM
  • CHRONIC KIDNEY-DISEASE
  • IMPAIRMENT
  • NATIONAL-HEALTH
  • POPULATION
  • PRESSURE
  • SERUM CREATININE
  • UNITED-STATES
  • eGFR
  • environmental exposure
  • lead
  • occupational medicine
  • renal function

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