Positive associations of serum concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls or organochlorine pesticides with self-reported arthritis, especially rheumatoid type, in women.
BACKGROUND
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) can influence the immune system, possibly increasing the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, as metabolic change due to obesity has been proposed as one mechanism of osteoarthritis (OA), POPs stored in adipose tissue may be also associated with OA.


OBJECTIVE
Our goal in this study was to examine associations of background exposure to POPs with arthritis among the general population.


METHODS
We investigated cross-sectional associations of serum POPs concentrations with the prevalence of self-reported arthritis in 1,721 adults >/= 20 years of age in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2002.


RESULTS
Among several POPs, dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or nondioxin-like PCBs were positively associated with arthritis in women. After adjusting for possible confounders, odds ratios (ORs) were 1.0, 2.1, 3.5, and 2.9 across quartiles of dioxin-like PCBs (p for trend = 0.02). Corresponding figures for nondioxin-like PCBs were 1.0, 1.6, 2.6, and 2.5 (p for trend = 0.02). Organochlorine (OC) pesticides were also weakly associated with arthritis in women. For subtypes of arthritis, respectively, RA was more strongly associated with PCBs than was OA. The adjusted ORs for RA were 1.0, 7.6, 6.1, and 8.5 for dioxin-like PCBs (p for trend = 0.05), 1.0, 2.2, 4.4, and 5.4 for nondioxin-like PCBs (p for trend < 0.01), and 1.0, 2.8, 2.7, and 3.5 for OC pesticides (p for trend = 0.15). POPs in men did not show any clear relation with arthritis.


CONCLUSIONS
The possibility that background exposure to PCBs may be involved in pathogenesis of arthritis, especially RA, in women should be investigated in prospective studies.
Lee
Duk-Hee
DH
Department of Preventive Medicine and Health Promotion Research Center, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea.
Steffes
Michael
M
Jacobs
David R
DR
D000367:Age Factors; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D050607:Organogold Compounds / Q000097:blood*; D010575:Pesticides / Q000097:blood*; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000097:blood*; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D050607:Organogold Compounds; D010575:Pesticides; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls