Low to Moderate Arsenic Exposure May Not Increase the Risk of Incident Hypertension

Background: Some research suggests that arsenic plays a role in hypertension, but more evidence is needed to properly evaluate the association between arsenic exposure and hypertension. Objectives: This study explores the relationship between arsenic exposure and hypertension. In this study, we accomplish two goals. First, we analyze arsenic exposure among different populations. Second, we determine the association between hypertension and arsenic levels while accounting for confounding variables.Methods: We used a sub-cohort data from a longitudinal study, the China Health and Nutrition Survey. We followed up 2,492 non-hypertensive participants aged 20 – 65 years old who had blood pressure data and toenail samples measured in 2009 through 2015. We measured blood pressure with sphygmomanometer and standard cuff and arsenic concentration in toenail samples by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). We used logistic regression models to estimate the association between arsenic quartiles and incident hypertension. Results: The average arsenic concentration was 0.46 (± 0.48) mg/kg and the median was 0.33 mg/kg. The incidence of hypertension was 24.6% during the six follow-up years, varying from 26.3% in the first (lowest) quartile to 21.8% in the fourth (highest) quartile. Compared to the first quartile, the relative risk (RR) was 0.85 (95% CI: 0.65 – 1.11), 0.95 (95% CI: 0.72 – 1.25), and 0.71 (95% CI: 0.52 – 0.95) from the second to the fourth quartile, respectively, controlled for age, gender, body mass index, and some other confounders.Conclusions: Low to moderate arsenic exposure might decrease the risk of hypertension. More research is needed to fully determine the effects of arsenic exposure on hypertension.Bachelor of Science in Public Healt