The link between long-term exposure to ingested arsenic from drinking water and an increased risk of diabetes mellitus and hypertension has been well documented in the dose–response relationship among residents of arseniasis-endemic areas in southwestern Taiwan and Bangladesh. In addition, links between arsenic levels and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and raised bold pressure were established in Mexico and Inner Mongolia, respectively. An increased risk of hypertension but not diabetes was reported in a community-based study of residents who consumed drinking water with a low level of arsenic in Wisconsin, USA. Hypertension-related mortality significantly increased among Mormons in the United States. In the large mortality data analyses, standardized mortality ratios for diabetes and hypertension were both significantly elevated for those consuming well water with 7.6 ppb of arsenic as compared to those consuming well water with 1.3 ppb of arsenic. Increased glycosylated hemoglobin level and systolic blood pressure were observed in workers occupationally exposed to arsenic. Inconsistent findings on the link between arsenic and diabetes in occupational studies may result from the healthy worker effect and the variation in exposure measurement, age composition, number of patients, accuracy in diagnosis and classification of underlying or contributing causes of death, competing causes of death, and the method to detect diabetes and hypertension. A community-based study of residents in an industrial area showed that inorganic arsenic accumulated in the hair was found to be associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome — a strong predictor of type 2 diabetes. A reduction in the arsenic level of drinking water significantly improved vascular function in Inner Mongolia. The dose–response relationship and toxicological mechanisms of arsenic-induced diabetes and hypertension need further verification.
Date:
2011-01
Relation:
Health Hazards of Arsenic Poisoning Environmental: From Epidemic to Pandemic. 2011 Jan;Chapter 9:135-160.
