Associations of gestational and early-life exposure to toxic metals and fluoride with a diagnosis of food allergy or atopic eczema at 1 year of age
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2023

Studies have indicated that early-life exposure to toxic metals and fluoride affects the immune system, but evidence regarding their role in allergic disease development is scarce. We aimed to evaluate the relations of exposure to such compounds in 482 pregnant women and their infants (4 months of age) with food allergy and atopic eczema diagnosed by a paediatric allergologist at 1 year of age within the Swedish birth-cohort NICE (Nutritional impact on Immunological maturation during Childhood in relation to the Environment). Urinary cadmium and erythrocyte cadmium, lead, and mercury concentrations were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), urinary inorganic arsenic metabolites by ICP-MS after separation by ion exchange chromatography, and urinary fluoride by an ion-selective electrode. The prevalence of food allergy and atopic eczema was 8 and 7%, respectively. Gestational urinary cadmium, reflecting chronic exposure, was associated with increased odds of infant food allergy (OR [95% CI]: 1.34 [1.09, 1.66] per IQR [0.08 μg/L]). Both gestational and infant urinary fluoride were associated, albeit at a statistically non-significant level, with increased atopic eczema odds (1.48 [0.98, 2.25], 1.36 [0.95, 1.95], per doubling, respectively). By contrast, gestational and infant erythrocyte lead was associated with decreased odds of atopic eczema (0.48 [0.26, 0.87] per IQR [6.6 μg/kg] and 0.38 [0.16, 0.91] per IQR [5.94 μg/kg], respectively), and infant lead with decreased odds of food allergy (0.39 [0.16, 0.93] per IQR [5.94 μg/kg]). Multivariable adjustment had marginal impact on the estimates above. After additional adjustment for fish intake biomarkers, the methylmercury associated atopic-eczema odds were considerably increased (1.29 [0.80, 2.06] per IQR [1.36 μg/kg]). In conclusion, our results indicate that gestational cadmium exposure might be associated with food allergy at 1 year of age and, possibly, early-life exposure to fluoride with atopic eczema. Further prospective and mechanistic studies are needed to establish causality.

Food allergy

Cadmium

Lead

Fluoride

Mercury

Atopic eczema

Författare

Mariza Kampouri

Karolinska Institutet

Klara Gustin

Karolinska Institutet

Mia Stråvik

Chalmers, Life sciences, Livsmedelsvetenskap

Malin Barman

Karolinska Institutet

Chalmers, Life sciences, Livsmedelsvetenskap

Anna Sandin

Umeå universitet

Ann-Sofie Sandberg

Chalmers, Life sciences, Livsmedelsvetenskap

Agnes E Wold

Göteborgs universitet

Marie Vahter

Karolinska Institutet

Maria Kippler

Karolinska Institutet

Environment International

0160-4120 (ISSN) 1873-6750 (eISSN)

Vol. 178 108071

Ett systemtoxikologibaserat angreppssätt för bedömning av kombinationseffekter av toxiska metaller tidigt i livet

Formas (2018-02275), 2018-12-01 -- 2022-11-30.

Ämneskategorier

Pediatrik

Immunologi inom det medicinska området

Lungmedicin och allergi

Miljömedicin och yrkesmedicin

DOI

10.1016/j.envint.2023.108071

PubMed

37422976

Mer information

Senast uppdaterat

2023-07-30