OBJECTIVES We conducted this study to investigate the relationship between the blood concentration of cadmium and cognitive function in elderly Koreans. METHODS This research is a part of the Korean Elderly Environmental Panel Study (KEEPS). A total of 403 subjects were enrolled and analyzed from August 2008 through August 2010. Demographic information and medical histories were obtained using a questionnaire. Blood concentration of cadmium and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) with Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ) were evaluated for each subject. RESULTS The mean age of subjects was 70.67 (SD 5.18, n=403) and 72% were female. The mean blood cadmium level was 1.22 microg/dl (SD 0.56), mean MMSE score was 25.12 out of 30 and mean FAQ score was 2.03 out of 30. Using linear regression analysis to estimate the relationship between blood cadmium concentration and MMSE and FAQ, we observed a significant association between log transformed values of blood cadmium levels and MMSE (p<0.002) or FAQ (p=0.005) scores. After adjusting for age, sex, level of education, alcohol consumption and smoking habits, the relationship between blood cadmium concentration and MMSE and FAQ scores ramained statistically significant (p=0.033 and 0.029, respectively). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that blood cadmium concentration is strongly associated with cognitive function and functional activity in the elderly.
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Association between heavy metals, high-sensitivity C-reaction protein and 10-year risk of cardiovascular diseases among adult Korean population Hai Duc Nguyen, Hojin Oh, Ngoc Hong Minh Hoang, Min-Sun Kim Scientific Reports.2021;[Epub] CrossRef
Associations between Cadmium Exposure and Taste and Smell Dysfunction: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2011–2014 Yi Zheng, Yun Shen, Zheng Zhu, Hui Hu International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2020; 17(3): 943. CrossRef
The association between cadmium and lead exposure and blood pressure among workers of a smelting industry: a cross-sectional study Hyun Chan An, Joo Hyun Sung, Jiho Lee, Chang Sun Sim, Sang Hoon Kim, Yangho Kim Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2017;[Epub] CrossRef
Does cadmium exposure contribute to depressive symptoms in the elderly population? Changwoo Han, Youn-Hee Lim, Yun-Chul Hong Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2016; 73(4): 269. CrossRef