Distribution of mercury in serum and blood cells and risk of spontaneous preterm birth: A nested case-control study in China

Hang An; Bin Wang; Zhiyi Li; Yu Jin; Mengyuan Ren; Yanxin Yu; Yali Zhang; Le Zhang; Lailai Yan; Zhiwen Li; Aiguo Ren; Rongwei Ye; Kexin Li

doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112228

Distribution of mercury in serum and blood cells and risk of spontaneous preterm birth: A nested case-control study in China

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2021 Jul 1:217:112228. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112228. Epub 2021 Apr 20.

Authors

Hang An¹, Bin Wang¹, Zhiyi Li², Yu Jin¹, Mengyuan Ren¹, Yanxin Yu³, Yali Zhang¹, Le Zhang¹, Lailai Yan⁴, Zhiwen Li¹, Aiguo Ren¹, Rongwei Ye⁵, Kexin Li⁶

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Reproductive and Child Health, Peking University, Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Beijing 100191, PR China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, PR China.
² Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, PR China.
³ School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China.
⁴ Department of Laboratorial Science and Technology, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, PR China.
⁵ Institute of Reproductive and Child Health, Peking University, Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Beijing 100191, PR China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, PR China. Electronic address: yerw@bjmu.edu.cn.
⁶ Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, PR China. Electronic address: mouselkx_cindy@126.com.

PMID: 33892343
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.112228

Abstract

The relationship between maternal mercury (Hg) intake and the risk of spontaneous preterm birth (SPB) remains unclear. We conducted a nested case-control study from a prospective cohort in Shanxi Province, China, to explore their associations. In total, 126 pregnant women with SPB (cases) and 348 controls with term delivery were included. We measured the Hg concentrations in their serum (Hg^s) and blood cell (Hg^c) fractions and calculated the concentration ratio of Hg in serum to Hg in blood cells (Hg^s/c). We found that only the Hg^s/c in the case group was slightly higher than that in control group. The OR of Hg^s/c associated with SPB risk was 1.57 [95%CI: 0.99-2.46] with adjusting confounders. After stratification by sampling time, the association above was only statistically significant in the first trimester. High Hg^s/c may increase the risk of SPB in the first trimester among women with relatively low Hg exposure.

Keywords: Blood cell; Mercury; Pregnancy; Serum; Spontaneous preterm birth.

MeSH terms

Adult
Blood Cells
Case-Control Studies
China / epidemiology
Cohort Studies
Environmental Pollutants / blood*
Female
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Maternal Exposure / statistics & numerical data*
Mercury / blood*
Pregnancy
Premature Birth / blood*
Premature Birth / epidemiology
Prospective Studies

Substances

Environmental Pollutants
Mercury