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Published on: August 7, 2017
Prenatal heavy metal exposures and atopic dermatitis with gender difference in 6-month-old infants using
Seulbi Lee1, Sung Kyun Park2, Hyesook Park3
1Occupational and Environmental Medicine, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann arbor, MI, United States.
Insights
Prenatal lead exposure may increase infant atopic dermatitis (AD) risk, particularly in boys. This study highlights potential gender differences in heavy metal-induced AD development during critical pregnancy periods.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Pediatric Allergy
- Toxicology
Background:
- Prenatal exposure to heavy metals is linked to allergic conditions.
- Limited research exists on gender-specific associations between prenatal heavy metal exposure and infant atopic dermatitis (AD).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the gender-specific relationship between prenatal exposure to multiple heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium) and the incidence of AD in 6-month-old infants.
- Utilize data from the prospective Mothers and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH) study.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 738 mother-child pairs from the MOCEH cohort.
- Measurement of lead, mercury, and cadmium levels in maternal blood during early and late pregnancy.
- Application of multivariate regression and group Lasso models to assess multi-pollutant effects and interactions, considering nonlinear associations.
Main Results:
- A total of 200 infant AD cases were identified.
- Increased lead exposure in late pregnancy was associated with higher AD risk in boys (ORs up to 2.40).
- A weaker association was observed for lead exposure in girls.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal lead exposure, especially in late pregnancy, may elevate the risk of AD in infants, with a notable gender difference observed.
- Further research is warranted to confirm specific susceptibility windows and the mechanisms behind gender differences in lead-induced AD.
Background:
Prenatal exposure to heavy metals during critical developmental phases has been implicated in allergic phenotypes. However, few studies have been conducted on the gender-specific association of prenatal heavy metal exposure with atopic dermatitis (AD) in infants.
Objective:
To examine the gender-specific association of prenatal exposure to multiple heavy metals with AD incidence in 6-month-old infants using data from the Mothers and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH).
Methods:
We evaluated 738 mother-child pairs from the MOCEH study, an ongoing prospective birth cohort. The concentrations of three heavy metals (lead, mercury and cadmium) in maternal blood samples were measured during early and late pregnancy. Each quartile of heavy metal concentration was used to consider the possible nonlinear association with AD. For assessing the multi-pollutant model, we constructed the multivariate regression model including all three heavy metals at both early and late pregnancy. Further, the group Lasso model was used to perform the variable selection with categorized exposures and assess the effect of multiple pollutants including their pairwise interactions.
Results:
A total of 200 incident cases of AD were diagnosed in 6-month-old infants. In the multivariate regression model of the boy group, adjusted odds ratios comparing the second, third and fourth quartile of lead exposure in boys with the first quartile were 1.83 (95% CI: 1.00, 3.38), 1.04 (0.91, 3.32) and 2.40 (1.18, 4.90), respectively. However, the only second quartile of lead exposure compared to first quartile was significantly associated with AD in girls. In addition, the results of the group Lasso model were similar with the results of multivariate regression model.
Conclusion:
The results suggest that lead exposure in late pregnancy increases risk of AD in 6-month-old boys although the strength of association is weak. Further studies are needed to confirm the susceptibility window and gender differences in lead-induced AD.
