Influence of race, tobacco use, and caffeine use on the relation between blood pressure and blood lead concentration.
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.
Sharp
D S
DS
Department of Biomedical and Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley.
Benowitz
N L
NL
Osterloh
J D
JD
Becker
C E
CE
Smith
A H
AH
Syme
S L
SL
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*
D007854:Lead; D002110:Caffeine