J Korean Med Sci.  2013 Apr;28(4):516-521. 10.3346/jkms.2013.28.4.516.

Association between Prenatal Exposure to Cadmium and Atopic Dermatitis in Infancy

• Kim JH
• Jeong KS
• Ha EH
• Park H
• Ha M
• Hong YC
• Lee SJ
• Lee KY
• Jeong J
• Kim Y

• KMID: 1786957
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2013.28.4.516

Abstract

Our objective was to evaluate the relationship between intrauterine exposure to cadmium and the presence of atopic dermatitis in infants 6 months of age, adjusted for covariates including exposure to other heavy metals. The present research is a component of the Mothers' and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH) study, a multi-center birth cohort project conducted in Korea. Study subjects were restricted to pregnant women in whom cadmium and lead levels were measured at delivery and whose infants were assessed for the presence of atopic disease at 6 months of age. The odds ratio (OR) for the presence of atopic dermatitis in 6-month-old infants whose cord blood had elevated cadmium levels, after adjustment for other covariates, was 2.350 (95% CI, 1.126-4.906). The OR for the presence of atopic dermatitis in infants whose cord blood had elevated lead levels was not significant. In the present study, the cord blood cadmium level was significantly associated with the presence of atopic dermatitis in 6-month-old infants; this was not true of the cord blood lead level. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first prospective study to show a relationship between prenatal exposure to cadmium and atopic dermatitis in infancy.

Keyword

Atopy; Cadmium; Lead; Cord; Dermatitis, Atopic

MeSH Terms

Adult
Cadmium/analysis
Cadmium Poisoning/*complications
Cohort Studies
Dermatitis, Atopic/diagnosis/*etiology
Female
Fetal Blood/chemistry
Gestational Age
Humans
Infant
Lead/analysis/toxicity
Male
Odds Ratio
Pregnancy
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
Lead
Cadmium

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