Exposure to Even Small Amounts of Arsenic Raises Heart Disease Risk

A study in American Indians shows an independent association between low-to-moderate urinary arsenic levels and cardiovascular events.

High levels of arsenic in food or water are among the many environmental toxins that increase the risk for heart disease (BMJ 2011; 342:d2431). To evaluate the effects of long-term exposure to low-to-moderate levels of urinary arsenic on cardiovascular disease, investigators performed a prospective cohort study in 3575 American Indian men and women aged 45 to 74 who participated in the Strong Heart Study in Arizona, Oklahoma, and North and South Dakota between 1989 and 1991, with follow-up through 2008.

Over 45,738 person-years of follow-up, 341 participants died of coronary heart disease, and 45 died of stroke. Fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular events occurred in 1184 participants (coronary heart disease, 846; stroke, 264). Urinary arsenic c…

Reviewing Author

Joel M. Gore, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNIH–National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Joel M. Gore, MD

Disclosures

Grant/Research SupportNIH–National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Exposure to Even Small Amounts of Arsenic Raises Heart Disease Risk

Topics

Reviewing Author