Objective: The major objective of this study is to evaluate the long-termarsenic impacts on cardiovascular disease (CVD) after stopping high arsenicartesian water consumption by electrocardiographic (ECG)abnormality, after controlling for conventional risk factors to heart disease occurrence.Material and Methods: In 1993, a total of 216 residents from 3 tap water implemented villages of previous arseniasis-hyperendemic region in Taiwan were perspective followed up for average period of 8 years. The ECG abnormality was ascertained according to Minnesota coding criteria.Information regarding arsenic exposures was collected through arsenic concentrations in artesian well water and duration of drinking artesian well water. Other risk factors were collected through structured questionnaire interview while enrolling to the original cohort.Results: There were 42 newly deterioration ECG reading identified among 126 baseline normal subjects during the follow-up period of 717person-years. The incidence was estimated to be 0.0586 (95% confidence interval, 0.0425– 0.0783). Age, duration of drinking artesian well water(years), and cumulative arsenic exposure lever (mg/L/yr) significantly differed between normal subjects and those who showed deterioration by ECG reading after follow-up (P _ 0.05); however, the remaining conventional CVD risk factors showed no difference between the 2groups; and there was no relative risk heterogeneity in gender either.Regardless of arsenic exposure, the urine acid level showed a significant protective effect (OR _ 0.38, 95% confidence interval, 0.15– 0.96) after adjusting for age. Moreover, it was also significant against the cardiovascular damage in a multivariable logistic regression model when other cardiovascular risk factors were considered simultaneously (OR _0.10, 95% confidence interval, 0.02– 0.56).Conclusions: That arsenic exposure was still significantly associated with the increased incidence on ECG abnormality suggests that cardiovascular disease risk would need to be continually monitored even after cessation of arsenic exposure. A well-dietary lifestyle or nutritional intake may provide certain protection from arsenic damage on cardiovascular condition.
