DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN URINARY CADMIUM CONCENTRATION AND BETA(2)-MICROGLOBULINURIA USING LOGISTIC-REGRESSION ANALYSIS

Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the dose-response relationship for environmental cadmium exposure and to consider the e ffect age had on this association. The target population comprised 3 1 78 inhabitants of Japan who were more than 50 y of age and who lived i n a cadmium-polluted area and 1 134 inhabitants who lived in nonpollut ed areas of Japan. Logistic regression analysis was completed on the d ose-response relationship between urinary cadmium concentration (i.e., an indicator of cadmium body burden) and beta(2)-microglobulinuria (i .e., an index of renal tubular dysfunction caused by exposure to cadmi um). Both age and urinary cadmium concentration were associated signif icantly with beta(2)-microglobulinuria. Based on the relationship that was determined, we calculated, by age and sex, the values of urinary cadmium concentration that corresponded to the prevalence rates of bet a(2)-microglobulinuria in the nonpolluted population. The resulting va lues were 1.6-3.0 mu g/g creatinine for men and 2.3-4.6 mu g/g creatin ine for women.