Username


Password

Forgot Password?

Preview

Sign-in free and Explore the Exciting World of BiomedExperts:
  • Over 1.500.000 Profiles
  • More than 1.800 Organizations worldwide
  • State of the Art Network Visualizations
  • Manage your own Profile
  • Locate Experts in your Country/Region
  • Locate Experts in your 1. and 2. Level Network
  • Connect to Experts Worldwide
2003Wright Robert O; Tsaih Shirng Wern; Schwartz Joel; Spiro Avron; McDonald Karen; Weiss Scott T; Hu Howard
Lead exposure biomarkers and mini-mental status exam scores in older men.
Epidemiology (Cambridge, Mass.) 2003;14(6):713-8.
BACKGROUND: Lead is neurotoxic; yet, whether cognitive decline in older persons is associated with lead exposure is unknown. We studied whether lead exposure biomarkers are associated with cognitive test scores, as well as the modifying effects of age on the lead-cognition relationship. METHODS: Lead exposure biomarkers and Mini-Mental Status Exam (MMSE) scores were measured among subjects in the Normative Aging Study. Multiple linear and logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the cross-sectional association of these 2 variables. RESULTS: We found an odds ratio (OR) of 2.1 for MMSE <24 with an increase from the lowest to the highest quartile of patella lead levels (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1 to 4.1). From the lowest to the highest quartile of blood lead the OR for low MMSE was 3.4 (CI = 1.6 to 6.2). There was an interaction between lead biomarkers and age. Among subjects in the lowest quartile of patella lead levels, MMSE score decreased by 0.03 points per year (CI = -0.07 to 0.005), whereas in the highest quartile, MMSE score decreased by 0.13 points per year (CI = -0.19 to -0.07). Similar interactions were found between blood lead levels and age. CONCLUSIONS: Increased levels of lead in bone and blood are inversely associated with cognitive performance among older men. Lead exposure might accelerate age-associated cognitive decline.

Post to CiteULike

Sign in free and see...

Visualized networks:
See your personal network in
sophisticated graphical views
GeoTargeted Searches:
Locate experts around the world
and connect with global collaborators
Research Profiles:
See the visualized research activity
of experts around the globe
Sign-in to see more