Yang Tao-Hsiang, Yuan Tzu-Hsuen, Hwang Yaw-Huei, Lian Ie-Bin, Meng Menghsiao, Su Che-Chun
Graduate Institute of Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Graduate Institute of Occupational Medicine & Industrial Hygiene, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
J Formos Med Assoc. 2016 Nov;115(11):991-996. doi: 10.1016/j.jfma.2015.10.001. Epub 2015 Nov 21.
BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Heavy metal pollution in farm soils is a problem in some parts of Taiwan. Copper can be a factor associated with increased disease activities of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate whether copper pollution in farm soils is associated with worsened RA.
Clinical parameters from 122 RA patients were collected from a medical center in central Taiwan. Levels of heavy metals in the blood were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Levels of copper in farm soils were retrieved from a national survey. These data were analyzed to find the factors related to RA disease activities.
RA patients living where farm soils contained high levels of copper had increased white blood cell counts, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and disease activity score 28, compared with patients living where copper levels were low. Among the nine types of heavy metal measured in the study, blood levels of copper and nickel correlated with erythrocyte sedimentation rate.
Our cross-sectional data suggest a correlation between RA disease activity and the level of copper at township farm soils samples. Further longitudinal studies using more rigorous methodologies are warranted to examine whether this correlation is causal.
背景/目的：台湾部分地区农田土壤存在重金属污染问题。铜可能是类风湿关节炎（RA）疾病活动增加的相关因素。因此，本研究旨在调查农田土壤中的铜污染是否与RA病情加重有关。
从台湾中部的一家医疗中心收集了122例RA患者的临床参数。使用电感耦合等离子体质谱法测量血液中的重金属水平。农田土壤中的铜含量数据来自一项全国性调查。对这些数据进行分析，以找出与RA疾病活动相关的因素。
与生活在铜含量低地区的患者相比，生活在农田土壤含铜量高地区的RA患者白细胞计数、红细胞沉降率和疾病活动评分28均有所增加。在本研究测量的九种重金属中，血液中的铜和镍水平与红细胞沉降率相关。
我们的横断面数据表明，RA疾病活动与乡镇农田土壤样本中的铜含量之间存在相关性。有必要进行更严格方法的进一步纵向研究，以检验这种相关性是否具有因果关系。
