title: Persistent organic pollutants and abnormal geometry of the left ventricle in the elderly.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Established risk factors for left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) are hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. However, as these risk factors explain only part of the variation in left ventricular mass, we investigated whether persistent organic pollutants (POPs) might also play a role in LVH, because exposure to polychlorinated biphenyl 126 induced cardiac growth in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS), left ventricular mass index (LVMI), relative wall thickness (RWT), and geometric groups of LVH, were determined by echocardiography and 21 POPs were measured by high-resolution chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS) in 1016 individuals aged 70 years. All individuals with a history of myocardial infarction were excluded from analysis (n = 72).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Several of the POPs were related to abnormal left ventricular geometry before adjustment for established risk factors, but lost in significance following adjustment. However, the pesticide hexachlorobenzene (HCB) levels were significantly related to RWT, and concentric left ventricular remodeling, also following adjustment for sex, blood pressure, antihypertensive treatment, diabetes, and BMI (P <0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this cross-sectional study, circulating levels of HCB were related to increased wall thickness of the left ventricle and concentric left ventricular remodeling, independently of LVH risk factors, suggesting a role of this environmental contaminant in abnormal growth of the left ventricle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Linköping University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ylva
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sjöberg Lind
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lind
authors.forename: Samira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salihovic
authors.forename: Bert
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: van Bavel
authors.forename: P Monica
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Lind
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000737:chemistry; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D004452:Echocardiography; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects*; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000737:chemistry*; D010575:Pesticides / Q000737:chemistry; D011446:Prospective Studies; D051381:Rats; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D010575:Pesticides; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene