Dataset Information

A prospective cohort study of the association between drinking water arsenic exposure and self-reported maternal health symptoms during pregnancy in Bangladesh.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Arsenic, a common groundwater pollutant, is associated with adverse reproductive health but few studies have examined its effect on maternal health.

Methods

A prospective cohort was recruited in Bangladesh from 2008-2011 (N?=?1,458). At enrollment (<16 weeks gestational age [WGA]), arsenic was measured in personal drinking water using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Questionnaires collected health data at enrollment, at 28 WGA, and within one month of delivery. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for self-reported health symptoms were estimated for each arsenic quartile using logistic regression.

Results

Overall, the mean concentration of arsenic was 38 ?g/L (Standard deviation, 92.7 ?g/L). A total of 795 women reported one or more of the following symptoms during pregnancy (cold/flu/infection, nausea/vomiting, abdominal cramping, headache, vaginal bleeding, or swollen ankles). Compared to participants exposed to the lowest quartile of arsenic (?0.9 ?g/L), the aOR for reporting any symptom during pregnancy was 0.62 (95% CI?=?0.44-0.88) in the second quartile, 1.83 (95% CI?=?1.25-2.69) in the third quartile, and 2.11 (95% CI?=?1.42-3.13) in the fourth quartile where the mean arsenic concentration in each quartile was 1.5 ?g/L, 12.0 ?g/L and 144.7 ?g/L, respectively. Upon examining individual symptoms, only nausea/vomiting and abdominal cramping showed consistent associations with arsenic exposure. The odds of self-reported nausea/vomiting was 0.98 (95% CI: 0.68, 1.41), 1.52 (95% CI: 1.05, 2.18), and 1.81 (95% CI: 1.26, 2.60) in the second, third and fourth quartile of arsenic relative to the lowest quartile after adjusting for age, body mass index, second-hand tobacco smoke exposure, educational status, parity, anemia, ferritin, medication usage, type of sanitation at home, and household income. A positive trend was also observed for abdominal cramping (P for trend <0.0001). A marginal negative association was observed between arsenic quartiles and odds of self-reported cold/flu/infection (P for trend?=?0.08). No association was observed between arsenic and self-reported headache (P for trend?=?0.19).

Conclusion

Moderate exposure to arsenic contaminated drinking water early in pregnancy was associated with increased odds of experiencing nausea/vomiting and abdominal cramping. Preventing exposure to arsenic contaminated drinking water during pregnancy could improve maternal health.

SUBMITTER: Kile ML

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4021291 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

A prospective cohort study of the association between drinking water arsenic exposure and self-reported maternal health symptoms during pregnancy in Bangladesh.

Kile Molly L ML Rodrigues Ema G EG Mazumdar Maitreyi M Dobson Christine B CB Diao Nancy N Golam Mostofa M Quamruzzaman Quazi Q Rahman Mahmudar M Christiani David C DC

Environmental health : a global access science source 20140416 1

<h4>Background</h4>Arsenic, a common groundwater pollutant, is associated with adverse reproductive health but few studies have examined its effect on maternal health.<h4>Methods</h4>A prospective cohort was recruited in Bangladesh from 2008-2011 (N = 1,458). At enrollment (<16 weeks gestational age [WGA]), arsenic was measured in personal drinking water using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Questionnaires collected health data at enrollment, at 28 WGA, and within one month of deli ...[more]

PMID: 24735908

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Dataset Information

A prospective cohort study of the association between drinking water arsenic exposure and self-reported maternal health symptoms during pregnancy in Bangladesh.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

A prospective cohort study of the association between drinking water arsenic exposure and self-reported maternal health symptoms during pregnancy in Bangladesh.

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