Table 1.
Sociodemographic Characteristics, Exposure, and Effect Biomarkers of Study Population
| Variable | Exposure (n = 160) | Nonexposure (n = 121) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| n (%) or median (IQR) | n (%) or median (IQR) | ||
| Sexa | |||
| Male | 101 (63.12) | 59 (48.76) | .022 |
| Female | 59 (36.88) | 62 (51.24) | |
| Age (years)b | 40 (18–62) | 47 (22–59) | <.001 |
| Hg exposure biomarker | |||
| Blood-Hg (µg Hg/l)b | 7.0 (3.4–11.0) | 2.5 (2.5–4.7) | <.001 |
| Urine-Hg (µg Hg/g creatinine)b | 3.8 (2.9–10.1) | 2.9 (2.9–3.0) | <.001 |
| Hair-Hg (µg Hg/g hair)b | 0.8 (0.5–1.3) | 0.4 (0.2–0.7) | <.001 |
| Kidney effect biomarkers | |||
| eGFR (ml/min/1.73 m2)b | 82.6 (74.5–89.6) | 75.7 (69.3–84.1) | <.001 |
| B2M (ng/ml)b | 41.1 (23.1–62.9) | 36.6 (22.3–64.6) | .988 |
Abbreviations: Hg, mercury; B2M, β-2-microglobulin; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; IQR, interquartile range.
a
Pearson’s Chi-square test.
b
Mann-Whitney U-test/Wilcoxon rank-sum test for differences between groups.