Kobayashi Sumitaka, Itoh Sachiko, Miyashita Chihiro, Ait Bamai Yu, Yamaguchi Takeshi, Masuda Hideyuki, Itoh Mariko, Yamazaki Keiko, Tamura Naomi, Hanley Sharon J B, Ikeda-Araki Atsuko, Saijo Yasuaki, Ito Yoshiya, Iwai-Shimada Miyuki, Yamazaki Shin, Kamijima Michihiro, Kishi Reiko
Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, North-12, West-7, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan.
Center for Environmental and Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, North-12, West-7, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan; Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, North-12, West-5, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan.
Environ Int. 2022 Oct;168:107448. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107448. Epub 2022 Aug 4.
Neurodevelopmental delay is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. Prenatal metal exposure can potentially cause neurodevelopmental delays in children. This study examines whether prenatal exposure to mercury (Hg) and selenium (Se) is associated with the risk of neurodevelopmental delays in children up to 4 years of age. Children enrolled in a prospective birth cohort of the Japan Environment and Children's Study were examined. Hg and Se levels in maternal (n = 48,731) and cord (n = 3,083) blood were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. Neurodevelopmental delays were assessed in children between the ages of 0.5 to 4 years using the Ages and Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition. The association between exposure and outcomes was examined using the generalized estimation equation models. In maternal blood, compared to participants with Se levels in the first quartile (83.0 to < 156 ng/g), the odds ratio (95 % confidence intervals) for problem-solving ability in children of mothers in the third (168 to < 181 ng/g) and fourth quartiles (181 to 976 ng/g) were 1.08 (1.01 to 1.14) and 1.10 (1.04 to 1.17), respectively. Furthermore, communication, gross and fine motor skills, and problem-solving delays were also observed. However, prenatal Hg levels in maternal and cord blood and Se levels in the latter were not associated with neurodevelopmental delays in children. Thus, the findings of this study suggest an association between Se levels in maternal blood and slightly increased risks of neurodevelopmental delays in children up to the age of 4 years.
神经发育迟缓与神经发育障碍有关。产前接触金属可能会导致儿童神经发育迟缓。本研究旨在探讨产前接触汞（Hg）和硒（Se）是否与4岁以下儿童神经发育迟缓的风险相关。对参与日本环境与儿童研究前瞻性出生队列的儿童进行了检查。采用电感耦合等离子体质谱法分析了48731名母亲血液和3083名脐带血中的汞和硒水平。使用《年龄与发育阶段问卷》第三版对0.5至4岁儿童的神经发育迟缓情况进行评估。使用广义估计方程模型检验暴露与结果之间的关联。在母亲血液中，与硒水平处于第一四分位数（83.0至<156 ng/g）的参与者相比，母亲硒水平处于第三四分位数（168至<181 ng/g）和第四四分位数（181至976 ng/g）的儿童解决问题能力的比值比（95%置信区间）分别为1.08（1.01至1.14）和1.10（1.04至1.17）。此外，还观察到沟通、粗大和精细运动技能以及解决问题方面的延迟。然而，母亲血液和脐带血中的产前汞水平以及脐带血中的硒水平与儿童神经发育迟缓无关。因此，本研究结果表明母亲血液中的硒水平与4岁以下儿童神经发育迟缓风险略有增加之间存在关联。
