The Stacey Motor Neuron Disease Laboratory, Discipline of Pathology, Brain and Mind Centre, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia.
Department of Neuropathology, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Dec 14;15(12):2874. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15122874.
Exposures to toxic metals such as mercury have been suggested to be risk factors for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Human intake of mercury commonly occurs via consumption of seafood or from mercury-containing amalgam dental restorations ('mercury fillings'). We therefore compared mercury exposures from these sources in 401 ALS and 452 non-ALS respondents, using an internationally-available online questionnaire that asked respondents how often they ate seafood and what their favourite types of seafoods were. Respondents were also asked to record numbers of current or former mercury fillings. ALS and non-ALS respondents did not differ in their frequency of seafood consumption or in monthly mercury intake from favourite seafoods. Both groups had similar numbers of current, as well as former, mercury fillings. In conclusion, this study found no evidence that mercury exposure from eating seafood, or from mercury dental fillings, was associated with the risk of developing ALS. Therefore, if mercury does play a role in the pathogenesis of ALS, other sources of exposure to mercury in the environment or workplace need to be considered. Alternatively, a susceptibility to mercury toxicity in ALS, such as genetic or epigenetic variations, multiple toxic metal interactions, or selenium deficiency, may be present.
接触有毒金属，如汞，已被认为是肌萎缩侧索硬化症（ALS）的危险因素。人类通常通过食用海鲜或含汞的汞合金牙科修复体（“汞填充物”）摄入汞。因此，我们使用国际上可用的在线问卷，比较了 401 名 ALS 和 452 名非 ALS 受访者从这些来源摄入的汞，该问卷询问受访者他们吃海鲜的频率以及他们最喜欢的海鲜种类。受访者还被要求记录当前或以前汞填充物的数量。ALS 和非 ALS 受访者在食用海鲜的频率或从最喜爱的海鲜中每月摄入的汞量方面没有差异。这两个群体的当前和以前的汞填充物数量都相似。总之，这项研究没有发现证据表明食用海鲜或汞牙科填充物导致的汞暴露与患 ALS 的风险有关。因此，如果汞确实在 ALS 的发病机制中起作用，则需要考虑环境或工作场所中其他来源的汞暴露。或者，ALS 对汞毒性的易感性，如遗传或表观遗传变异、多种有毒金属相互作用或硒缺乏，可能存在。
