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Mercury Exposure and Antinuclear Antibodies among Females of Reproductive Age in the United States: NHANES

dc.contributor.authorSomers, Emily C.
dc.contributor.authorGanser, Martha A.
dc.contributor.authorWarren, Jeffrey S.
dc.contributor.authorBasu, Niladri
dc.contributor.authorWang, Lu
dc.contributor.authorZick, Suzanna M.
dc.contributor.authorPark, Sung Kyun
dc.date.accessioned2015-02-10T19:22:42Z
dc.date.available2015-02-10T19:22:42Z
dc.date.issued2015-02
dc.identifier.citationEnviron Health Perspect; DOI:10.1289/ehp.1408751en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/110512
dc.description.abstractBackground: Immune dysregulation associated with mercury has been suggested, though data in the general population are lacking. Chronic exposure to low levels of methylmercury (organic) and inorganic mercury is common, such as through fish consumption and dental amalgams. Objective: To examine associations between mercury biomarkers and antinuclear antibody (ANA) positivity and titer strength. Methods: Among females 16-49 years (n=1352) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2004, we examined cross-sectional associations between mercury and ANAs (indirect immunofluorescence; cutoff ≥1:80). Three biomarkers of mercury exposure were utilized: hair (available 1999-2000) and total blood (1999-2004) predominantly represented methylmercury, and urinary (1999-2002) inorganic. Survey statistics were used. Multivariable modeling adjusted for several covariates, including age and omega-3 fatty acids. Results: 16% of females were ANA-positive; 96% of ANA-positives had a nuclear staining pattern of speckled. Mercury geometric means (standard deviations) were: 0.22 (0.03) ppm hair, 0.92 (0.05) µg/L blood, and 0.62 (0.04) µg/L urinary. Hair and blood, but not urinary, mercury were associated with ANA positivity (sample sizes 452, 1352, and 804, respectively), adjusting for confounders: hair odds ratio (OR)=4.10 (95% CI: 1.66, 10.13); blood OR=2.32 (95% CI: 1.07, 5.03) comparing highest versus lowest quantiles. Magnitudes of association were strongest for high-titer (≥1:1280) ANA: hair OR=11.41 (95% CI: 1.60, 81.23); blood OR=5.93 (95% CI: 1.57, 22.47). Conclusions: Methylmercury, at low levels generally considered safe, was associated with subclinical autoimmunity among reproductive-age females. Autoantibodies may predate clinical disease by years, thus methylmercury exposure may be relevant to future autoimmune disease risk.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipThis work was supported by NIH/NIEHS K01ES019909, NIH/NIEHS P30ES017885, and NIH/NCRR UL1RR024986. ECS was supported in part by an Arthritis Foundation Health Professional New Investigator Award.en_US
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherNational Institute of Environmental Health Sciencesen_US
dc.subjectmercury exposureen_US
dc.subjectimmune dysregulationen_US
dc.subjectantinuclear antibodiesen_US
dc.titleMercury Exposure and Antinuclear Antibodies among Females of Reproductive Age in the United States: NHANESen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
dc.subject.hlbsecondlevelInternal Medicine and Specialties
dc.subject.hlbtoplevelHealth Sciences
dc.description.peerreviewedPeer Revieweden_US
dc.contributor.affiliationumUniversity of Michigan, Division of Rheumatologyen_US
dc.contributor.affiliationumcampusAnn Arboren_US
dc.description.bitstreamurlhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110512/1/SOMERS_EHP.AdvancePubl 02102015.acco.pdf
dc.description.bitstreamurlhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110512/2/Somers_EHP Suppl-1408751.s001.508.pdf
dc.identifier.sourceEnvironmental Health Perspectivesen_US
dc.description.mapping114en_US
dc.description.filedescriptionDescription of SOMERS_EHP.AdvancePubl 02102015.acco.pdf : Main Article
dc.description.filedescriptionDescription of Somers_EHP Suppl-1408751.s001.508.pdf : Supplementary Material
dc.owningcollnameRheumatology, Division of


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