Evaluated serum perfluoroalkyl acids and their relationships with the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis in the general population in Hangzhou, China

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 307; p. 119505
• Main Authors: Qu, Jianli, Zhao, Yun, Zhang, Li, Hu, Shilei, Liao, Kaizhen, Zhao, Meirong, Wu, Pengfei, Jin, Hangbiao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 15.08.2022
• Subjects: Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody; Human serum; PFOA; PFOS; Rheumatoid arthritis; Rheumatoid factors; Human serum; Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody; PFOA; Rheumatoid factors; Rheumatoid arthritis; PFOS
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119505

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are widely present in human blood, and have many toxic effects on humans. However, effects of PFAA exposure on the risk of rheumatic immune diseases are limited. In the present study, occurrence of 7 PFAAs, including perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoate (PFNA), perfluorodecanoate (PFDA), perfluoroundecanoate (PFUnA), perfluorododecanoate (PFDoA), and perfluorotrdecanoate (PFTrA), were measured in serum samples from 156 healthy people (controls) and 156 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) cases living in Hangzhou, China. We also investigated the relationships among cumulative PFAA levels in serum, some immune markers, and the incidence of RA. The results showed that PFOA (6.1 and 11.8 ng/mL) had the highest mean serum concentrations, followed by PFOS (3.2 and 3.4 ng/mL) and PFDA (0.86 and 2.6 ng/mL), in both controls and RA cases. Cumulative exposure to PFOA in the study population were positively correlated with the levels of rheumatoid factors (rs = 0.69, p < 0.01) and anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody (rs = 0.56, p < 0.05). Moreover, significant associations of PFOA concentrations with odds ratios (OR) of RA (OR = 1.998, confidence interval (CI): 1.623, 2.361, p = 0.01) were found by adjusting for various covariates. The crude and adjusted OR for RA was respective 1.385 (95% CI: 1.270, 1.510, p = 0.04) and 1.381 (95% CI: 0.972, 1.658, p = 0.06) for a unit increase in serum PFOS levels, but the adjusted results were not significant. Overall, this case-control study found that human serum PFOA concentrations were positively correlated with RF and ACPA levels. [Display omitted] •Occurrence of perfluoroalkyl acids in Chinese human serum was investigated.•PFOA was the most abundant PFAS in human serum from Hangzhou, China.•Cumulative exposure to PFOA was positively associated with RF and ACPA levels.•We firstly found that PFOA was associated with the OR of rheumatoid arthritis.