title: Association between prenatal exposure to cadmium and atopic dermatitis in infancy.
abstract: Our objective was to evaluate the relationship between intrauterine exposure to cadmium and the presence of atopic dermatitis in infants 6 months of age, adjusted for covariates including exposure to other heavy metals. The present research is a component of the Mothers' and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH) study, a multi-center birth cohort project conducted in Korea. Study subjects were restricted to pregnant women in whom cadmium and lead levels were measured at delivery and whose infants were assessed for the presence of atopic disease at 6 months of age. The odds ratio (OR) for the presence of atopic dermatitis in 6-month-old infants whose cord blood had elevated cadmium levels, after adjustment for other covariates, was 2.350 (95% CI, 1.126-4.906). The OR for the presence of atopic dermatitis in infants whose cord blood had elevated lead levels was not significant. In the present study, the cord blood cadmium level was significantly associated with the presence of atopic dermatitis in 6-month-old infants; this was not true of the cord blood lead level. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first prospective study to show a relationship between prenatal exposure to cadmium and atopic dermatitis in infancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Ulsan University Hospital, Ulsan, Korea.
authors.forename: Ja Hyeong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kyoung Sook
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Eun-Hee
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.forename: Hyesook
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Mina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.forename: Yun-Chul
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Soo-Jeong
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kyung Yeon
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Yangho
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002104:Cadmium / Q000032:analysis; D002105:Cadmium Poisoning / Q000150:complications*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007854:Lead / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
chemical_list: D002104:Cadmium; D007854:Lead
keywords: Atopy; Cadmium; Cord; Dermatitis, Atopic; Lead