Effects of Iron-Deficiency Anemia on Cadmium Uptake or Kidney Dysfunction Are Essentially Nil among Women in General Population in Japan

Short Report

Effects of Iron-Deficiency Anemia on Cadmium Uptake or Kidney
Dysfunction Are Essentially Nil among Women in
General Population in Japan

TERUOMI TSUKAHARA, TAKAFUMI EZAKI, JIRO MORIGUCHI, KATSUYA FURUKI,¹ HIROHIKO UKAI,
SATORU OKAMOTO, HARUHIKO SAKURAI² and MASAYUKI IKEDA

Kyoto Industrial Health Association, 67 Nishinokyo-Kitatsuboicho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8472,
¹Institute of Industrial Ecological Sciences, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu 807-8555, and
²Occupational Health Research and Development Center, Japan Industrial Health Association, Tokyo 108-0014

In the present study, 1476 adult women in 6 prefectures in Japan volunteered to offer peripheral blood and spot urine samples, and to complete questionnaires on social habits and health. Blood samples were analyzed for iron, ferritin and TIBC in serum in addition to RBC, Hb and Cd in whole blood. Urine samples were analyzed for Cd, a₁-MG, and b₂-MG; the measures were corrected for creatinine and were expressed as e.g., Cd-Ucr. Among 1212 never-smokers, 37 women with <25 ng ferritin/ml serum and <10 g Hb/100 ml blood were classified as the anemics, whereas 701 women with ≥25 ng/ml ferritin and ≥10 g/100 ml Hb were taken as controls. Matching by age and the prefecture of residence was successful for 34 anemics. Comparison (by paired t-test) of Cd in blood, and Cd, a₁-MG and b₂-MG in urine (as corrected for creatinine) of the anemics with that of matched controls showed no significant differences. Thus, it appeared likely that the current level of iron insufficiency among general women population in Japan may not induce substantial increase in Cd absorption or Cd-associated kidney dysfunction

Keywords —— anemia; cadmium; iron deficiency; microglobulins in urine; women

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Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2002, 197, 243-247

Address for reprints: Masayuki Ikeda, Kyoto Industrial Health Association, 67 Nishinokyo-Kitatsuboicho, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto 604-8472, Japan.

e-mail: ikeda@kyotokojohokenkai.or.jp