Associations between Urinary Cadmium and Hypertension, Diabetes, and Urinary Stones among Adults with Cadmium Exposure, Mae Sot District, Tak Province

Abstract

This paper reported the associations between urinary cadmium and hypertension, diabetes, andurinary stones in an adult population living in cadmium-contaminated areas, Mae Sot District, TakProvince. A total of 795 cadmium-exposed adults were screened for urinary cadmium, urinarycalcium, hypertension, diabetes, and urinary stones. The chi-square test was used for comparisonbetween proportions and multiple logistic regression analysis was used to determine the associa-tions between urinary cadmium and hypertension, diabetes, and urinary stones, after adjusting forother co-variables. The mean age of the study persons was 50 years. The overall prevalence rates ofhypertension, diabetes, and urinary stones were 33.3 percent, 6.2 percent, and 8.9 percent respec-tively. The prevalence rates of hypertension, diabetes, and urinary stones were greatest in thosewith urinary cadmium levels ≥ 15 μg/g creatinine. However, The rates of these 3 diseases did notsignificantly increase with increasing urinary cadmium levels, after adjusting for other co-variables.In this population, risk for hypertension, diabetes, and urinary stones remained uncertain in relationto cadmium exposure. However, since human excessive exposure to cadmium can cause renaldysfunction, cadmium-exposed persons should be screened for other medical conditions relating tonephropathy. Early detection of these disorders and appropriate management may reduce the dete-rioration of renal damage in the population with cadmium exposure.