title: Urinary beta 2-microglobulin concentration and mortality in a cadmium-polluted area.
abstract: A 9-y follow-up study of 3,178 persons who lived in a cadmium-polluted area was conducted to assess the influence of environmental cadmium exposure on long-term outcome. The standardized mortality ratios of the urinary beta 2-microglobulin-positive subjects (> 1,000 micrograms/g creatinine) of both sexes were higher than those of the general Japanese population, whereas the cumulative survival curves were lower than those of the urinary beta 2-microglobulin-negative group. A significant association was also found between urinary beta 2-microglobulin and mortality, using a Cox's proportional hazards model. Moreover, mortality rates increased in proportion to increases in the amount of urinary beta 2-microglobulin excreted. These results suggest that the prognosis for cadmium-exposed subjects with proximal tubular dysfunction is unfavorable. The mortality rate tended to become higher as the severity of renal dysfunction progressed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakagawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishijo
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Morikawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tabata
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Senma
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitagawa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishizaki
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sugita
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002105:Cadmium Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000652:urine*; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012737:Sex Factors; D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin / Q000652:urine*
chemical_list: D001613:beta 2-Microglobulin