Urinary Metal Levels Linked to Increased Risk for CVD, Mortality

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 7, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Urinary metal levels are associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality, according to a study published online Aug. 1 in Circulation.

Irene Martinez-Morata, M.D., Ph.D., from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City, and colleagues examined the prospective association of urinary metals with incident CVD and all-cause mortality in the racially diverse Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Data were included for 6,599 participants with urinary metals available at baseline (2000 to 2001) who were followed through December 2019.

The researchers found that 1,162 participants developed CVD and 1,844 participants died during follow-up. Comparing the highest with the lowest quartiles, the hazard ratios for incident CVD and all-cause mortality were 1.25 and 1.68 for cadmium; 1.20 and 1.16 for tungsten; 1.32 and 1.32 for uranium; 1.24 and 1.37 for cobalt; 1.42 and 1.50 for copper; and 1.21 and 1.38 for zinc, respectively, in models adjusted by behavioral and clinical indicators. For cadmium and copper, a positive linear dose-response was seen with both end points. The adjusted hazard ratios for an interquartile range increase in the mixture of these urinary metals and 10-year survival probability difference for incident CVD and all-cause mortality were 1.29 and −1.1 percent and 1.66 and −2.0 percent, respectively.

"These findings support the role of metals as emerging and preventable risk factors for CVD and all-cause mortality and can inform the development of novel preventive strategies to improve cardiovascular health by mitigating the adverse effects of metals," the authors write.

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