Studying the effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons on peripheral arterial disease in the United States

• Published in: The Science of the total environment Vol. 461-462; pp. 341 - 347
• Main Authors: Xu, Xiaohui, Hu, Hui, Kearney, Gregory D., Kan, Haidong, Sheps, David S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.09.2013
• Subjects: adverse effects; Biomarkers; Biomarkers - urine; chemically induced; coal; combustion; cooking; diabetes mellitus; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Exposure - adverse effects; epidemiology; Humans; Logistic Models; logit analysis; metabolites; National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; NHANES; Nutrition Surveys; OH-PAHs; Peripheral Arterial Disease; Peripheral arterial disease (PAD); Peripheral Arterial Disease - chemically induced; Peripheral Arterial Disease - epidemiology; phenanthrenes; pollutants; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - adverse effects; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - urine; risk; smoking (habit); United States; United States - epidemiology; urine; United States; USA; 1-PHEN; Peripheral arterial disease (PAD); Environmental exposure; 1-PYR; ABI; 1-NAP; CIs; 2-PHEN; CVD; ORs; AORs; PAD; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); 2-NAP; 2-FLUO; OH-PAHs; 3-FLUO; PAHs; NHANES; 3-PHEN; 1-hydroxypyrene; Cardiovascular disease; 2-hydroxynaphthalene; Confidence intervals; 1-hydroxynaphthalene; 3-hydroxyphenanthrene; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; 3-hydroxyfluorene; 1-hydroxyphenanthrene; Monohydroxy urinary metabolites of PAHs; Odds ratios; Peripheral arterial disease; Adjusted odds ratios; 2-hydroxyfluorene; Ankle–brachial index; 2-hydroxyphenanthrene
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.04.089

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are a group of prevalent pollutants which are produced by incomplete combustion of organic materials such as coal, fuel, tobacco smoking and food cooking. The associations between exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) have not been well studied. We used the 2001-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to investigate the associations between eight monohydroxy urinary metabolites of four PAHs and PAD. In a logistic regression model, subjects within the middle and highest tertiles of fluorene metabolites, 2-hydroxyfluorene (2-FLUO) and 3-hydroxyfluorene (3-FLUO), and phenanthrene metabolites, 1-hydroxyphenanthrene (1-PHEN) and 2-hydroxyphenanthrene (2-PHEN), had significantly higher prevalence of PAD as compared to subjects within the lowest tertile after adjusting for cigarette smoking, diabetes mellitus and other covariates (For 2-FLUO, the 3rd tertile: OR=2.22, 95% CI=1.13–4.37, p for trend=0.02; For 3-FLUO, the 3rd tertile: OR=2.36, 95% CI: 1.16–4.77, p for trend=0.02; For 1-PHEN, the 3rd tertile: OR=1.84, 95% CI: 1.01–3.37, p for trend=0.04; For 2-PHEN, the 3rd tertile: OR=1.76, 95% CI: 1.07–2.88, p for trend=0.03). Our findings suggest that exposure to PAHs may increase the risk of PAD. Further studies are necessary to explore the associations between PAHs and PAD. •This study used urinary biomarkers, i.e. metabolites of PAHs, as objective measurements of exposure.•The effects of PAHs on peripheral arterial disease (PAD) were examined among a large population-based sample.•Our study for the first time suggests that exposure to PAHs may increase the risk of PAD independent of smoking.