Liaugaudaite Vilma, Mickuviene Narseta, Raskauskiene Nijole, Naginiene Rima, Sher Leo
Behavioral Medicine Institute of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Palanga, Lithuania.
Behavioral Medicine Institute of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Palanga, Lithuania.
J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2017 Sep;43:197-201. doi: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2017.03.009. Epub 2017 Mar 24.
Suicide is a major public health concern affecting both the society and family life. There are data indicating that higher level lithium intake with drinking water is associated with lower suicide rate. This pilot study examined the relationship between lithium levels in drinking water and suicide rates in Lithuania. Twenty-two samples from public drinking water systems were taken in 9 cities of Lithuania. The lithium concentration in these samples was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The suicide data were obtained from the Lithuania Database of Health Indicators, and comprised all registered suicides across all ages and gender within the 5-year period from 2009 to 2013. The study demonstrated an inverse correlation between levels of lithium (log natural transformed), number of women for 1000 men and standardized mortality rate for suicide among total study population. After adjusting for confounder (the number of women for 1000 men), the lithium level remained statistically significant in men, but not in women. Our study suggested that higher levels of lithium in public drinking water are associated with lower suicide rates in men. It might have a protective effect on the risk of suicide in men.
自杀是一个重大的公共卫生问题，影响着社会和家庭生活。有数据表明，通过饮用水摄入较高水平的锂与较低的自杀率相关。这项初步研究调查了立陶宛饮用水中的锂含量与自杀率之间的关系。从立陶宛的9个城市的公共饮用水系统中采集了22个样本。这些样本中的锂浓度通过电感耦合等离子体质谱法（ICP-MS）测定。自杀数据来自立陶宛健康指标数据库，涵盖了2009年至2013年这5年期间所有年龄段和性别的所有登记自杀案例。该研究表明，在整个研究人群中，锂含量（自然对数转换）、每1000名男性对应的女性数量与自杀标准化死亡率之间存在负相关。在对混杂因素（每1000名男性对应的女性数量）进行调整后，锂含量在男性中仍具有统计学意义，但在女性中则不然。我们的研究表明，公共饮用水中较高的锂含量与男性较低的自杀率相关。它可能对男性的自杀风险具有保护作用。
