Lead Levels and Heart Disease Risk in Older Men
Author Information
Author(s): Nitin B. Jain, Vijayalakshmi Potula, Joel Schwartz, Pantel S. Vokonas, David Sparrow, Robert O. Wright, Huiling Nie, Howard Hu
Primary Institution: Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School
Hypothesis
Is there an association between bone lead levels and the risk of ischemic heart disease in middle-aged and elderly men?
Conclusion
Men with higher blood and bone lead levels are at an increased risk for future ischemic heart disease.
Supporting Evidence
- 83 ischemic heart disease events occurred during the study.
- One standard deviation increase in blood lead level was associated with a 1.27-fold greater risk for ischemic heart disease.
- Patella lead levels were significantly associated with increased risk for ischemic heart disease.
Takeaway
This study found that older men with more lead in their bones and blood are more likely to have heart problems.
Methodology
A prospective cohort study followed 837 men for ischemic heart disease events, measuring blood and bone lead levels.
Potential Biases
Potential residual confounding from unmeasured socioeconomic factors.
Limitations
The study only included men and had few minority participants, limiting generalizability.
Participant Demographics
Middle-aged and elderly men from the Greater Boston area.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.05
Confidence Interval
1.01–1.59 for blood lead; 1.02–1.62 for patella lead
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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