Critical windows of exposure for arsenic-associated impairment of cognitive function in pre-school girls and boys: a population-based cohort study

作者：Jena Derakhshani Hamadani, Fahmida Tofail, Barbro Nermell, Renee M. Gardner, Shamima Shiraji, Matteo Bottai, Shams El Arifeen, S N Huda, Marie Vahter · 发表于：International Journal of Epidemiology · 年份：2011 · DOI：10.1093/ije/dyr176 · 被引用次数：275 · 研究领域：Arsenic contamination and mitigation、Heavy Metal Exposure and Toxicity、Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia research

BACKGROUND: Exposure to arsenic through drinking water has been associated with impaired cognitive function in school-aged children in a few cross-sectional studies; however, there is little information on critical windows of exposure. METHODS: We conducted a population-based longitudinal study in rural Bangladesh. We assessed the association of arsenic exposure, based on urinary arsenic (U-As; twice during pregnancy and twice in childhood), with the development of about 1700 children at 5 years of age using Wechsler Pre-school and Primary Scale of Intelligence [intelligence quotient (IQ)]. RESULTS: Median maternal U-As in pregnancy was 80 µg/l (10-90 percentiles: 25-400 µg/l). Children's urine contained 35 (12-155) µg/l and 51 (20-238) µg/l at 1.5 and 5 years, respectively. Using multivariable-adjusted regression analyses, controlling for all potential confounders and loss to follow-up, we found that verbal IQ (VIQ) and full scale IQ (FSIQ) were negatively associated with (log) U-As in girls. The associations were consistent, but somewhat stronger with concurrent arsenic exposure [VIQ: B = -2.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -3.8 to -1.1; FSIQ: B = -1.4, 95% CI = -2.7 to -0.1, n = 817), compared with that at 1.5 years (VIQ: B = -0.85, 95% CI = -2.1 to 0.4; FSIQ: B = -0.74, 95% CI = -1.9 to 0.4, n = 902), late gestation (VIQ: B = -1.52, 95% CI = -2.6 to -0.4; FSIQ: B = -1.35, 95% CI = -2.4 to -0.3, n = 874) and early gestation (VIQ: B = -1.23, 95% CI = -2.4 to -0.06; FSIQ: B...