title: Arsenic exposure from drinking water and QT-interval prolongation: results from the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Arsenic exposure from drinking water has been associated with heart disease; however, underlying mechanisms are uncertain.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We evaluated the association between a history of arsenic exposure from drinking water and the prolongation of heart rate-corrected QT (QTc), PR, and QRS intervals.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a study of 1,715 participants enrolled at baseline from the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study. We assessed the relationship of arsenic exposure in well water and urine samples at baseline with parameters of electrocardiogram (ECG) performed during 2005-2010, 5.9 years on average since baseline.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for QTc prolongation, defined as a QTc ≥ 450 msec in men and ≥ 460 msec in women, was 1.17 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.35) for a 1-SD increase in well-water arsenic (108.7 µg/L). The positive association appeared to be limited to women, with adjusted ORs of 1.24 (95% CI: 1.05, 1.47) and 1.24 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.53) for a 1-SD increase in baseline well-water and urinary arsenic, respectively, compared with 0.99 (95% CI: 0.73, 1.33) and 0.86 (95% CI: 0.49, 1.51) in men. There were no apparent associations of baseline well-water arsenic or urinary arsenic with PR or QRS prolongation in women or men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long-term arsenic exposure from drinking water (average 95 µg/L; range, 0.1-790 µg/L) was associated with subsequent QT-interval prolongation in women. Future longitudinal studies with repeated ECG measurements would be valuable in assessing the influence of changes in exposure.
authors: Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, New York University, New York, New York 10016 USA. yu.chen@nyumc.org
authors: Yu
authors: Y
authors: Chen
authors: Fen
authors: F
authors: Wu
authors: Faruque
authors: F
authors: Parvez
authors: Alauddin
authors: A
authors: Ahmed
authors: Mahbub
authors: M
authors: Eunus
authors: Tyler R
authors: TR
authors: McClintock
authors: Tazul Islam
authors: TI
authors: Patwary
authors: Tariqul
authors: T
authors: Islam
authors: Anajan Kumar
authors: AK
authors: Ghosal
authors: Shahidul
authors: S
authors: Islam
authors: Rabiul
authors: R
authors: Hasan
authors: Diane
authors: D
authors: Levy
authors: Golam
authors: G
authors: Sarwar
authors: Vesna
authors: V
authors: Slavkovich
authors: Alexander
authors: A
authors: van Geen
authors: Joseph H
authors: JH
authors: Graziano
authors: Habibul
authors: H
authors: Ahsan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001151:Arsenic / Q000652:urine*; D001459:Bangladesh / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D060766:Drinking Water / Q000032:analysis*; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000652:urine*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D001151:Arsenic
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