INCREASED PREVALENCE OF HYPERTENSION AND LONG-TERM ARSENIC EXPOSURE

To examine the association between long-term exposure to inorganic ars enic and the prevalence of hypertension, we studied a total of 382 men and 516 women residing in villages where arseniasis was hyperendemic. Hypertension was defined as a systolic blood pressure of 160 mm Hg or greater, a diastolic blood pressure of 95 mm Hg or greater, or a hist ory of hypertension treated regularly with antihypertensive drugs. The long-term arsenic exposure was calculated from the history of artesia n well water consumption obtained through standardized interviews base d on a structured questionnaire and the measured arsenic concentration in well water. Residents in villages where long-term arseniasis was h yperendemic had a 1.5-fold increase in age- and sex-adjusted prevalenc e of hypertension compared with residents in nonendemic areas. Duratio n of artesian well water consumption, average arsenic concentration in drinking water, and cumulative arsenic exposure were all significantl y associated with hypertension prevalence. The higher the cumulative a rsenic exposure, the higher the prevalence of hypertension. This dose- response relation remained significant after adjustment for age, sex, diabetes mellitus, proteinuria, body mass index, and serum triglycerid e level. The results suggest that long-term arsenic exposure may induc e hypertension in humans.