Skip to main content
Environmental Health Perspectives logoLink to Environmental Health Perspectives
. 1988 Jun;78:43–46. doi: 10.1289/ehp.887843

Blood lead and coronary heart disease risk among elderly men in Zutphen, The Netherlands.

D Kromhout 1
PMCID: PMC1474596  PMID: 3203644

Abstract

Information about blood lead and other coronary heart disease risk factors was collected in 1977 among 152 men aged 57 to 76 years in the town of Zutphen, the Netherlands. Blood lead was determined by atomic absorption spectrometry. The blood lead distribution was skewed to the right. The median blood lead concentration was 167 micrograms/L, and the mean was 183 micrograms/L. Blood lead levels above 300 micrograms/L were present among 8.6% and levels above 400 micrograms/L among 1.3% of the Zutphen men. Blood lead was of borderline significance to cigarette smoking. After both univariate and multivariate analyses, a significant association was found between blood lead and blood pressure. This relation was stronger for systolic than for diastolic blood pressure. Of the 141 elderly men free of coronary heart disease in 1977, 26 developed coronary heart disease between 1977 and 1985. Blood lead was not associated with coronary heart disease incidence in both univariate and multivariate analyses.

Full text

PDF
45

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Beevers D. G., Campbell B. C., Goldberg A., Moore M. R., Hawthorne V. M. Blood-cadmium in hypertensives and normotensives. Lancet. 1976 Dec 4;2(7997):1222–1224. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(76)91145-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Beevers D. G., Cruickshank J. K., Yeoman W. B., Carter G. F., Goldberg A., Moore M. R. Blood-lead and cadmium in human hypertension. J Environ Pathol Toxicol. 1980 Sep;4(2-3):251–260. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Del Castilho P., Herber R. F. The rapid determination of cadmium, lead, copper and zinc in whole blood by atomic absorption spectrometry with electrothermal atomization. Improvements in precision with a peak-shape monitoring device. Anal Chim Acta. 1977 Dec 1;94(2):269–274. doi: 10.1016/s0003-2670(01)84526-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Elinder C. G., Friberg L., Lind B., Jawaid M. Lead and cadmium levels in blood samples from the general population of Sweden. Environ Res. 1983 Feb;30(1):233–253. doi: 10.1016/0013-9351(83)90183-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Friberg L., Vahter M. Assessment of exposure to lead and cadmium through biological monitoring: results of a UNEP/WHO global study. Environ Res. 1983 Feb;30(1):95–128. doi: 10.1016/0013-9351(83)90171-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Harlan W. R., Landis J. R., Schmouder R. L., Goldstein N. G., Harlan L. C. Blood lead and blood pressure. Relationship in the adolescent and adult US population. JAMA. 1985 Jan 25;253(4):530–534. doi: 10.1001/jama.253.4.530. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Keys A., Aravanis C., Blackburn H. W., Van Buchem F. S., Buzina R., Djordjević B. D., Dontas A. S., Fidanza F., Karvonen M. J., Kimura N. Epidemiological studies related to coronary heart disease: characteristics of men aged 40-59 in seven countries. Acta Med Scand Suppl. 1966;460:1–392. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Klevay L. M. Coronary heart disease: the zinc/copper hypothesis. Am J Clin Nutr. 1975 Jul;28(7):764–774. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/28.7.764. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Manthey J., Stoeppler M., Morgenstern W., Nüssel E., Opherk D., Weintraut A., Wesch H., Kübler W. Magnesium and trace metals: risk factors for coronary heart disease? Association between blood levels and angiographic findings. Circulation. 1981 Oct;64(4):722–729. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.64.4.722. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Perry H. M., Jr, Kopp S. J. Does cadmium contribute to human hypertension. Sci Total Environ. 1983 Feb;26(3):223–232. doi: 10.1016/0048-9697(83)90140-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Pocock S. J., Shaper A. G., Ashby D., Delves H. T., Clayton B. E. The relationship between blood lead, blood pressure, stroke, and heart attacks in middle-aged British men. Environ Health Perspect. 1988 Jun;78:23–30. doi: 10.1289/ehp.887823. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Pocock S. J., Shaper A. G., Ashby D., Delves T., Whitehead T. P. Blood lead concentration, blood pressure, and renal function. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1984 Oct 6;289(6449):872–874. doi: 10.1136/bmj.289.6449.872. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Shaper A. G., Pocock S. J., Walker M., Wale C. J., Clayton B., Delves H. T., Hinks L. Effects of alcohol and smoking on blood lead in middle-aged British men. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1982 Jan 30;284(6312):299–302. doi: 10.1136/bmj.284.6312.299. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Voors A. W. Does lithium depletion cause atherosclerotic heart-disease? Lancet. 1969 Dec 20;2(7634):1337–1339. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(69)90868-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Environmental Health Perspectives are provided here courtesy of National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

RESOURCES