Nr. Asal et al., HYDROCARBON EXPOSURE AND CHRONIC RENAL-DISEASE, International archives of occupational and environmental health, 68(4), 1996, pp. 229-235
The study objective was to investigate further the potential role of l
ong-term exposure to hydrocarbons (HCs) in the development of idiopath
ic chronic glomerulopathy (ICG) using a more refined measurement of HC
exposure. A total of 321 pairs of cases and controls, matched by age,
gender, and geographical area, were assembled. A detailed questionnai
re was blindly administered to cases and controls to collect informati
on on occupational and medical history and sociodemographic data. By i
ntegrating quantified measurements of HC exposure from a variety of so
urces with each subject's occupational history, a lifetime HC exposure
score could be estimated and expressed in parts per million (ppm). Ca
ses had an hydrocarbon exposure mean score of 165 ppm (median 48 ppm)
as compared to 162 ppm (median 43 ppm) for controls (P = 0.757). When
using hydrocarbon exposure as a dichotomous variable with a cutoff poi
nt at 100 ppm, cases had a higher proportion of exposed than controls,
but the difference was not statistically significant at the 0.05 leve
l, even after controlling for possible confounders through logistic re
gression. Subgroup analyses showed mixed results. In most subgroups di
fferences between cases and controls tended to become significant when
hydrocarbon was used as a dichotomous variable. Results from this stu
dy do not sufficiently support the hypothesized association of HC expo
sure and ICG in general. Subgroup analyses need further investigations
. Efforts to generate accurate estimates of lifetime HC exposure shoul
d be emphasized for future investigations.