Article

Blood Lead Level and Hypertension Risk in the United States National Health Nutrition and Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2016

Register or Login to View PDF Permissions
Permissions× For commercial reprint enquiries please contact Springer Healthcare: ReprintsWarehouse@springernature.com.

For permissions and non-commercial reprint enquiries, please visit Copyright.com to start a request.

For author reprints, please email rob.barclay@radcliffe-group.com.
Average (ratings)
No ratings
Your rating
Open Access:

© Radcliffe Medical Media. Articles published before 1 January 2019 are free to read and are subject to standard copyright law regarding reproduction and distribution. Permission is required for reuse of this content.

Aim: Hypertension is a known manifestation of lead toxicity. However, whether low level exposure is related to hypertension is uncertain.

Methods: United States National Health Nutrition and Examination Survey (NHANES) participants >20 years old with blood pressure and lead measurements were included in this analysis. If not already diagnosed, a mean blood pressure ≥130/80 mmHg was regarded as hypertension. R statistics version 3.5.1 with package ‘survey’ and sample weight adjustment were used.

Results: 39,477 participants (20,803 of whom had stage 1 or 2 hypertension) were included in this analysis. Each doubling in blood lead level increased the odds of hypertension (OR 1.45, 95% CI [1.40–1.50]). The association remained significant after adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, waist circumference and smoking.

Using quartile 1 as reference (blood lead level <0.89 μg/dl), quartiles 2, 3 and 4 (0.89–1.29; 1.30–2.09; ≥2.10 μg/dl) were associated with increased adjusted odds of hypertension (1.14 [1.05–1.25]; 1.15 [1.04–1.28]; 1.22 [1.09–1.36]) respectively.

Conclusion: Blood lead level is associated with hypertension in the US general population, most of whom do have elevated blood lead level. Our findings suggest that reducing present levels of environmental lead exposure may potentially reduce blood pressure and the consequent cardiovascular risk in adults.