Department of Psychology, College of Medical and Health Science, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Center for Prevention and Treatment of Internet Addiction, Asia University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Pediatr Res. 2023 Nov;94(5):1609-1618. doi: 10.1038/s41390-023-02672-5. Epub 2023 Jun 1.
Phthalates exposure might affect children's intelligence development. This study aimed to determine (1) whether sex and age affect cognitive function and (2) whether sex differences in cognitive performance are wider with higher phthalate concentrations.
Data were collected from PubMed (1998-2022), PROQUEST (1997-2022), and SpringerLink (1995-2022). The study followed the PRISMA process. The included articles were followed by PECO framework. The GRADE applied to assess the certainty of evidence. Of 2422 articles obtained, nine were selected using inclusion criteria. The random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled effects.
Our meta-regression indicated a significant difference between sex differences with age at phthalate concentration assessment (β = -0.25; 95% CI = -0.47, -0.03) and MEHP concentration (β = -0.20; 95% CI = -0.37, -0.03).
The limitation of the current article is it only provides information on intelligence level rather than other aspects of cognitive function. Thus, the sequelae of phthalate exposure on attention and executive function are still unclear. Our analysis shows significant difference between sex differences in cognitive function scores associated with age at phthalate concentration assessment. Girls might be more resilient in cognitive function at a younger age or during lower concentrations of phthalates metabolites.
This is the first meta-analysis to evaluate the pooled estimates of sex differences in objective cognitive functions among children with phthalate exposure. The female might be a protective factor when exposed to toxic plasticizers while the concentration is low. This study captures the possible role of sex in cognitive functioning and plasticizer exposure through a meta-analysis of children's sex, cognitive scores, and plasticizer exposure.
邻苯二甲酸酯暴露可能会影响儿童的智力发育。本研究旨在确定：（1）性别和年龄是否会影响认知功能；（2）在较高邻苯二甲酸酯浓度下，认知表现的性别差异是否更大。
从 PubMed（1998-2022 年）、PROQUEST（1997-2022 年）和 SpringerLink（1995-2022 年）收集数据。研究遵循 PRISMA 流程。纳入的文章遵循了 PECO 框架。应用 GRADE 评估证据的确定性。从获得的 2422 篇文章中，使用纳入标准选择了 9 篇文章。使用随机效应模型估计合并效应。
我们的荟萃回归表明，邻苯二甲酸酯浓度评估时的年龄（β=-0.25；95%CI=-0.47，-0.03）和 MEHP 浓度（β=-0.20；95%CI=-0.37，-0.03）之间存在显著的性别差异。
目前文章的局限性在于，它仅提供了智力水平的信息，而不是认知功能的其他方面。因此，邻苯二甲酸酯暴露对注意力和执行功能的后遗症仍不清楚。我们的分析表明，与邻苯二甲酸酯浓度评估时的年龄相关的认知功能评分存在显著的性别差异。女孩在较低的邻苯二甲酸酯代谢物浓度或更年轻时，其认知功能可能更具弹性。
这是第一项评估儿童邻苯二甲酸酯暴露与认知功能性别差异的荟萃分析。在浓度较低时，女性可能是有毒增塑剂暴露的保护因素。本研究通过对儿童性别、认知评分和增塑剂暴露的荟萃分析，捕捉了性别在认知功能和增塑剂暴露中可能发挥的作用。
