title: Effects of blood lead levels on airflow limitations in Korean adults: findings from the 5th KNHNES 2011.
abstract: This study aimed to examine whether blood levels of heavy metals, such as lead, mercury and cadmium, are related with pulmonary function in Korean adults. This investigation included 870 Korean adults (≥ 40 years) who received pulmonary function testing in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) V-2, 2011. Data of blood levels of heavy metals, pulmonary function tests and anthropometric measurements were acquired. Blood lead levels showed inverse correlations with the FEV1/FVC ratio before (r = -0.276, p < 0.001) and after adjustment of multiple compounding factors (r = -0.115, p = 0.001). A logistic multiple regression analysis revealed that blood lead levels were a significant influencing factor for the FEV1/FVC ratio (β = -0.017, p = 0.001, adjusted R(2) = 0.267). The odds ratios (ORs) for the FEV1/FVC ratio were significantly lower in the highest tertile group of the blood lead levels than in the lowest tertile group in Model 1 (OR = 0.007, 95% CI = 0.000-0.329) and Model 2 (OR = 0.006, 95% CI = 0.000-0.286). These findings imply that environmental exposure to lead might be an important factor that may cause airflow limitations in Korean adults.
authors.affiliation: Severance Institute for Vascular and Metabolic Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 120-749, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hye Kyung
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 120-749, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: yschang@yuhs.ac.
authors.forename: Yoon Soo
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Severance Institute for Vascular and Metabolic Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 120-749, Republic of Korea; Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 120-749, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chul Woo
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Ahn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007854:Lead / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests
chemical_list: D007854:Lead
keywords: Airflow limitations; FEV(1)/FVC ratio; Heavy metals; Lead; Pulmonary function