Circulating levels of p,p'-DDE are related to prevalent hypertension in the elderly

Abstract

Background: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxin given to experimental animals increase the blood pressure. We therefore investigated if circulating levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were related to hypertension in a population-based sample of men and women. Methods: One thousand and sixteen subjects aged 70 years were investigated in the Prospective Investigation of the Vasculature in Uppsala Seniors (PIVUS) study. Twenty-three POPs were analyzed using high-resolution gas chromatography/high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRGC/HRMS). Hypertension was defined as a systolic blood pressure ≥140. mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure ≥90. mmHg, and/or use of antihypertensive medication. Results: Seven hundred and thirty-two subjects (72%) showed hypertension. When the POPs were treated as continuous variables and adjusted for gender only, two PCBs with a low number of chlorine atoms (PCB 105 and 118) were related to prevalent hypertension. Also the OC pesticide p,. p'-DDE was related to hypertension. The strongest of these associations was seen for p,. p'-DDE (OR 1.35 for a 1 SD change, 95% CI 1.17-1.56, p<0.0001). Following further adjustment also for BMI, smoking status, education level and exercise habits, only p,. p'-DDE was still significantly related to hypertension (OR 1.23 for a 1 SD change, 95% CI 1.06-1.43, p=0.006). Conclusion: In this cross-sectional analysis of an elderly population, high levels of circulating levels of p,. p'-DDE were associated with prevalent hypertension, further strengthening the experimental findings that POPs might influence blood pressure. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.