Association between serum mercury concentration and leukocyte differential count in children

There have been a number of animal studies on the immunological effects of mercury. However, there is a lack of studies investigating the effects of mercury in children. We investigated the association between serum mercury and leukocyte differential count in Korean children. The relationship between mercury and leukocyte differential count (segment, lymphocyte, monocyte, basophil, and eosinophil counts) was analyzed by multivariate linear analysis adjusted for sex, BMI, parental smoking, lead, cadmium, and allergic sensitization in 311 children. Mercury showed a positive correlation with lymphocyte count (coefficient 113.8, 95% confidence interval 26.7-200.9). However, mercury was not associated with total leukocyte, segment, monocyte, basophil, or eosinophil count. Mercury was associated with the increased of lymphocyte count in Korean children. Further studies will be required to ascertain the clinical significance of this association.