Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Jun;28(23):28833-28847.
doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-13725-9. Epub 2021 Apr 10.

Lead (Pb) exposure and heart failure risk

Zihan Chen  1 , Xia Huo  2 , Guangcan Chen  1 , Xiuli Luo  1 , Xijin Xu  3   4
Affiliations
Review

Lead (Pb) exposure and heart failure risk

Zihan Chen et al. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2021 Jun.

Abstract

Lead (Pb) is a heavy metal with widespread industrial use, but it is also a widespread environmental contaminant with serious toxicological consequences to many species. Pb exposure adversely impacts the cardiovascular system in humans, leading to cardiac dysfunction, but its effects on heart failure risk remain poorly elucidated. To better understand the pathophysiological effects of Pb, we review potential mechanisms by which Pb exposure leads to cardiac dysfunction. Adverse effects of Pb exposure on cardiac function include heart failure risk, pressure overload, arrhythmia, myocardial ischemia, and cardiotoxicity. The data reviewed clearly establish that Pb exposure can play an important role in the occurrence and development of heart failure. Future epidemiological and mechanistic studies should be developed to better understand the involvement of Pb exposure in heart failure.

Keywords: Cardiotoxicity; Cardiovascular disease; Environmental pollution; Heart failure; Lead exposure; Risk factors.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Afridi HI, Kazi TG, Kazi N, Kandhro GA, Baig JA, Jamali MK, Arain MB, Shah AQ, Shah F, Khan S, Kolachi NF (2010) Association of environmental toxic elements in biological samples of myocardial infarction patients at different stages. Biol Trace Elem Res 141:26–40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-010-8713-2 - DOI
    1. Asgary S, Movahedian A, Keshvari M, Taleghani M, Sahebkar A, Sarrafzadegan N (2017) Serum levels of lead, mercury and cadmium in relation to coronary artery disease in the elderly: a cross-sectional study. Chemosphere 180:540–544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.03.069 - DOI
    1. Barry V, Steenland K (2019) Lead exposure and mortality among U.S. workers in a surveillance program: results from 10 additional years of follow-up. Environ Res 177:108625. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2019.108625 - DOI
    1. Bener A, Obineche E, Gillett M, Pasha MA, Bishawi B (2001) Association between blood levels of lead, blood pressure and risk of diabetes and heart disease in workers. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 74:375–378. https://doi.org/10.1007/s004200100231 - DOI
    1. Boccalandro F, Yepes A, Velasco A, Thomas CD, Bologna M, Richartz B, Radovancevic B (2001) Relationship between peak exercise oxygen consumption and qtc in patients with advanced heart failure. J Heart Lung Transplant 20:164. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1053-2498(00)00299-0 - DOI

LinkOut - more resources