Lead Exposure and Cardiovascular Disease—A Systematic Review
By A. Navas-Acien, Eliseo Guallar, E. Silbergeld, S. Rothenberg. Environmental Health Perspectives, 2006
1,041 citations recorded by the source corpus.
Objective This systematic review evaluates the evidence on the association between lead exposure and cardiovascular end points in human populations. Methods We reviewed all observational studies from database searches and citations regarding lead and cardiovascular end points. Results A positive association of lead exposure with blood pressure has been identified in numerous studies in different settings, including prospective studies and in relatively homogeneous socioeconomic status groups. Several studies have identified a dose–response relationship. Although the magnitude of this association is modest, it may be underestimated by measurement error. The hypertensive effects of lead have been confirmed in experimental models. Beyond hypertension, studies in general populations have identified a positive association of lead exposure with clinical cardiovascular outcomes (cardiovascular, coronary heart disease, and stroke mortality; and peripheral arterial disease), but the number of studies is small. In some studies these associations were observed at blood lead levels < 5 μg/dL. Conclusions We conclude that the evidence is sufficient to infer a causal relationship of lead exposure with hypertension. We conclude that the evidence is suggestive but not sufficient to infer a causal relationship of lead exposure with clinical cardiovascular outcomes. There is also suggestive but insufficient evidence to infer a causal relationship of lead exposure with heart rate variability. Public Health Implications These findings have immediate public health implications. Current occupational safety standards for blood lead must be lowered and a criterion for screening elevated lead exposure needs to be established in adults. Risk assessment and economic analyses of lead exposure impact must include the cardiovascular effects of lead. Finally, regulatory and public health interventions must be developed and implemented to further prevent and reduce lead exposure.
Subfields: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis, Nutrition and Dietetics, Pollution
View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/ce3ebc5d2a8b6dc39a213f76c2e2ed89260481d9
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Citations in the corpus
- Prevalence of exposure of heavy metals and their impact on health consequences (2018, background): “Researchers have investigated that risk of cardiovascular disease has some correlation with increased blood pressure caused by Pb exposure.(199) A study investigated that death caused by cardiovascular diseases have found some association between blood Pb levels and death due to cardiovascular disea”
- Lead toxicity: a review (2015, background): “Activities like motility and the general morphology of sperm are also affected at this level (Navas-Acien et al., 2007).”
- Toxicity of lead: A review with recent updates (2012, background): “Both chronic and acute lead poisoning causes cardiac and vascular damage with potentially lethal consequences including hypertension and cardiovascular disease (Navas-Acien et al., 2007).”
- Evidence-based toxicology for the 21st century: opportunities and challenges. (2013, background): “These case studies examined the effects of lead and arsenic on human health and illustrated the use of forest plots (Navas-Acien et al., 2006, 2007).”