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Arterial structure and function and environmental exposure to cadmium

¹ Studies Coordinating Centre, Division of Hypertension and Cardiovascular Rehabilitation, Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
² Subject Group Physiology, North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus), Potchefstroom, South Africa
³ Industrial Toxicology and Occupational Medicine Unit, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
⁴ Heymans Institute of Pharmacology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
⁵ Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

Correspondence to:
Dr Jan A Staessen, Studies Coordinating Centre, Laboratory of Hypertension, University of Leuven, Campus Gasthuisberg, Herestraat 49, bus 702, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium; jan.staessen{at}med.kuleuven.be

Objectives: Few studies have addressed the effect of cadmium toxicity on arterial properties.

Methods: We investigated the possible association of 24 h urinary cadmium excretion (an index of lifetime exposure) with measures of arterial function in a randomly selected population sample (n = 557) from two rural areas with low and high environmental exposure to cadmium.

Results: 24 h urinary cadmium excretion was significantly higher in the high compared with the low exposure group (p<0.001). Even though systolic (p = 0.42), diastolic (p = 0.14) and mean arterial pressure (p = 0.68) did not differ between the high and low exposure groups, aortic pulse wave velocity (p = 0.008), brachial pulse pressure (p = 0.026) and femoral pulse pressure (p = 0.008) were significantly lower in the high exposure group. Additionally, femoral distensibility (p<0.001) and compliance (p = 0.001) were significantly higher with high exposure. Across quartiles of 24 h urinary cadmium excretion (adjusted for sex and age), brachial (p for trend = 0.015) and femoral (p for trend = 0.018) pulse pressure significantly decreased and femoral distensibility (p for trend = 0.008) and compliance (p for trend = 0.007) significantly increased with higher cadmium excretion. After full adjustment, the partial regression coefficients confirmed these associations. Pulse wave velocity (β = –0.79±0.27; p = 0.004) and carotid (β = –4.20±1.51; p = 0.006), brachial (β = –5.43±1.41; p = 0.001) and femoral (β = –4.72±1.74; p = 0.007) pulse pressures correlated negatively, whereas femoral compliance (β = 0.11±0.05; p = 0.016) and distensibility (β = 1.70±0.70; p = 0.014) correlated positively with cadmium excretion.

Conclusion: Increased cadmium body burden is associated with lower aortic pulse wave velocity, lower pulse pressure throughout the arterial system, and higher femoral distensibility.