Analytical Chemistry Division, Thyrocare Technologies Limited, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Toxicol Ind Health. 2020 Dec;36(12):1019-1023. doi: 10.1177/0748233720970437. Epub 2020 Nov 17.
Mercury (Hg) is a toxic heavy metal, and the reported effects of exposure on liver function continue to be inconsistent. The objective of our study was to identify correlations between high blood Hg levels and liver enzymes in a pan-India population including adults ≥19 years of age. This retrospective study analyzed the data from 95,398 individuals tested for blood Hg levels and liver enzymes in our national laboratory. Testing for blood Hg was done by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, while testing for liver enzymes-aspartate aminotransferase (AST/SGOT), alanine aminotransferase (ALT/SGPT), and gamma-glutamyl transferase-was done by automated photometry systems. Data from all the individuals inclusive of 52,497 males and 42,901 females were studied. The frequency of high blood Hg levels (>5 µg/L) was found to be 0.6%, and the difference between males and females was not found to be significant. Further correlation by linear regression analysis found no relationship between high blood Hg levels and liver enzymes among females. However, among males, there was a significant correlation between high blood Hg levels, and increased AST as well as ALT. Our report suggested that for males but not females, Hg exposure may be one of the differentials for elevated liver enzymes.
汞 (Hg) 是一种有毒重金属，其暴露对肝功能的影响报道仍不一致。我们的研究目的是在包括 19 岁及以上成年人在内的全印度人群中，确定高血汞水平与肝酶之间的相关性。这项回顾性研究分析了我们国家实验室检测的 95398 个人的血汞水平和肝酶数据。血汞检测采用电感耦合等离子体质谱法，而肝酶（天门冬氨酸氨基转移酶 (AST/SGOT)、丙氨酸氨基转移酶 (ALT/SGPT) 和γ-谷氨酰转移酶）检测采用自动化光度测定系统。对所有个体的数据（包括 52497 名男性和 42901 名女性）进行了研究。发现高血汞水平（>5µg/L）的频率为 0.6%，且男女之间的差异无统计学意义。进一步通过线性回归分析发现，女性高血汞水平与肝酶之间无相关性。然而，在男性中，高血汞水平与 AST 和 ALT 升高之间存在显著相关性。我们的报告表明，对于男性而非女性，汞暴露可能是肝酶升高的鉴别因素之一。
