Association between the Concentrations of Metallic Elements in Maternal Blood during Pregnancy and Prevalence of Abdominal Congenital Malformations

The Japan Environment and Children’s Study

Bibliographic Data

ID15464451
AuthorsChihiro Miyashita (0000-0003-0996-3631, Hokkaido University), Yasuaki Saijo (0000-0002-6211-8202, Asahikawa Medical University), Yoshiya Ito (0000-0001-7905-6661, Akebono (Japan)), Atsuko Araki (0000-0002-3065-262X, Hokkaido University), Sachiko Itoh (Hokkaido University), Keiko Yamazaki (0000-0003-2027-8758, Hokkaido University), Sumitaka Kobayashi (0000-0002-0396-8637, Hokkaido University), Yu Ait Bamai (0000-0003-2510-4757, Hokkaido University), Hideyuki Masuda (0000-0002-4924-1804, Hokkaido University), Naomi Tamura (0000-0003-2116-4023, Hokkaido University), Mariko Itoh (Hokkaido University), Takeshi Yamaguchi (0000-0002-5063-9924, Hokkaido University), Shin Yamazaki (0000-0002-2309-2425, National Institute for Environmental Studies), Reiko Kishi (0000-0001-8173-9269, Hokkaido University, corresponding author)
Year2021
Volume18
Issue19
Pages10103-10103
Publication date2021-09-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/ijerph181910103
PMID34639405
OpenAlexW3201982068
LanguageEN
References cited19

Abdominal congenital malformations are responsible for early mortality, inadequate nutrient intake, and infant biological dysfunction. Exposure to metallic elements in utero is reported to be toxic and negatively impacts ontogeny. However, no prior study has sufficiently evaluated the effects of exposure to metallic elements in utero on abdominal congenital malformations. The aim of the present study was to evaluate associations between metallic elements detected in maternal blood during pregnancy and congenital abdominal malformations. Data from participants in the Japan Environment and Children's Study was used in the present study, and contained information on singleton and live birth infants without congenital abnormalities (control: n = 89,134) and abdominal malformations (case: n = 139). Heavy metals such as mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and trace elements of manganese (Mn) and selenium (Se) were detected in maternal serum samples during mid- and late-gestation. Infant congenital abnormalities were identified from delivery records at birth or one month after birth by medical doctors. In a multivariate analysis adjusted to account for potential confounders, quartiles of heavy metals and trace elements present in maternal blood were not statistically correlated to the prevalence of abdominal congenital malformations at birth. This study is the first to reveal the absence of significant associations between exposure levels to maternal heavy metals and trace elements in utero and the prevalence of abdominal congenital malformations in a large cohort of the Japanese population. Further studies are necessary to investigate the impact of exposure to heavy metals and trace elements via maternal blood in offspring after birth

Biology · Cohort · Confidence interval · Confounding · Congenital malformations · Environmental health · Fetus · Gestation · In utero · Obstetrics · Offspring · Population · Pregnancy · Quartile · Teratology · Heavy Metal Exposure and Toxicity · Medicine · Mercury impact and mitigation studies · Trace Elements in Health · Internal Medicine · Pediatrics · Physiology