title: Influence of race, tobacco use, and caffeine use on the relation between blood pressure and blood lead concentration.
abstract: A number of studies have suggested a small to moderate positive relation between blood pressure and blood lead concentration in males (2-4 mmHg/In(microgram/dl]. However, this 1986 study of San Francisco bus drivers suggests larger relations in black males (n = 132) for both systolic pressure (7.5 mmHg/In(microgram/dl] and diastolic pressure (4.7 mmHg/In(microgram/dl] at very low blood lead concentrations (2-21 micrograms/dl). This increase appears to result from negative confounding, particularly after taking into account tobacco use. Relations are even larger in blacks who infrequently use caffeine (16.7 and 10.4 mmHg/In(microgram/dl) for systolic and diastolic pressure, respectively). In contrast, a negative relation between systolic pressure and blood lead concentration (-5.7 mmHg/In(microgram/dl] is suggested in nonblack males (n = 117). These findings indicate that race, lead accumulation, and physiologic effects related to caffeine use (e.g., catecholamine effects) may interact to produce marked differences in effect on blood pressure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley.
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Sharp
authors.forename: N L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Benowitz
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Osterloh
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Syme
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002110:Caffeine / Q000009:adverse effects; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003971:Diastole / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000187:drug effects*; D012495:San Francisco; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D013599:Systole / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D007854:Lead; D002110:Caffeine