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Ischemic heart disease in chronic arsenic exposure:
A case control study in West Bengal
Debendranath Guha Mazumder1*, Kunal K
Majumdar2, Ishani Kar-Purkayastha3,
Aloke Ghose4, Goutam Mistry5,
Chandan Saha6, Ashoke Nandy7
and Arabinda Das8
1Director,
DNGM Research Foundation, Kolkata-700 053,India,
Formerly, Professor and Head, Dept of Medicine and
Gastroenterology, Instt.of Post Graduate Medical
Education And Research, Kolkata.
2Associate
Professor, Department of Community Medicine, KPC
Medical College & Hospital, Jadavpur, Kolkata-700
032, India
3Visiting
Research Associate (Clinical Toxicology), DNGM
Research Foundation, Kolkata, India.
4,5Research
Associate, DNGM Research Foundation, Kolkata- 700
053, India
6Assistant
Professor, Department of Clinical and Experimental
Pharmacology, School of Tropical Medicine,
Kolkata-700 073, India.
7Chemist,
Department of Clinical and Experimental
Pharmacology, School of Tropical Medicine,
Kolkata-700 073, India.
8Asst.Professor,
Dept of Statistics, Acharya Prafulla Ch. College,
Kolkata-700131, India
*Corresponding Author E-mail:
guhamazumder@yahoo.com; Phone: 033-2396-7493;
Fax: 033-28380478
Accepted 28 February, 2013
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Reports of cardiovascular complications due to
chronic arsenic exposure are scanty from the
Indo-Bangladesh subcontinent. This study from West
Bengal, India assesses the likelihood of
ischemic heart disease (IHD)
in individuals resident in an area of high
groundwater contamination with arsenic (Nadia
district) compared to those from a non-contaminated
area (Hoogly district).
Two hundred and eight study participants (Group 1)
were recruited from a cross-sectional study in six
villages in the Nadia district and 100 controls
(Group 2) from a village in the Hoogly district. The
two groups were
evenly matched in regard to age and sex.
History
taking and clinical examination and
electrocardiography were done in each participant.
Water samples from current and previous drinking
water sources and hair and urine samples from each
participant were collected for estimation of
arsenic. The present study showed
evidence of increased association
of
IHD
in individuals resident in arsenic endemic region
compared to those from a non-endemic region with
increased odds ratio for IHD (Adjusted Odds Ratio,
OR 2.14 (95%CI=(1.03-4.15)) in Group- 1
participants compared to Group- 2. Within Group 1,
there was no difference in prevalence of
cardiovascular outcomes between those with and
without skin lesion. There was a dose-effect
relationship seen with increasing arsenic level in
hair and IHD (Unadjusted OR. 4.31
(95%CI=(1.01-18.58)) in participants living in
arsenic endemic region.
The findings reported here support an association
between arsenic exposure and IHD. More work is
needed to characterize the link further.
Keywords:
Arsenic and ischemic heart disease. Arsenic in hair,
Arsenic in heart disease, Arsenic in unexposed
population.
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