Aflatoxin Exposure May Contribute to Chronic Hepatomegaly in Kenyan School Children
| Autor: | Bin Zhao, Yun Yun Gong, Christopher P. Wild, Michael N. Routledge, Gachuhi Kimani, David W. Dunne, H. Curtis Kariuki, Birgitte J. Vennervald, Joseph K. Mwatha, Shona Wilson, Jovita M. Castelino |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2012 |
| Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
Aflatoxin aflatoxicosis outbreak Health Toxicology and Mutagenesis 030231 tropical medicine malaria Hepatosplenomegaly Prevalence Physiology Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Food Contamination Schistosomiasis Biology Zea mays 01 natural sciences DNA Adducts 03 medical and health sciences hepatomegaly 0302 clinical medicine Aflatoxins schistosomiasis parasitic diseases Epidemiology medicine Humans Child Aflatoxins Toxicity aflatoxin albumin adducts 2. Zero hunger Analysis of Variance Research 010401 analytical chemistry Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health aflatoxin medicine.disease Kenya 0104 chemical sciences 3. Good health Logistic Models Immunology child health Etiology biomarker hepatosplenomegaly medicine.symptom Malaria |
| Zdroj: | Environmental Health Perspectives |
| ISSN: | 0091-6765 |
| Popis: | Background: Presentation with a firm type of chronic hepatomegaly of multifactorial etiology is common among school-age children in sub-Saharan Africa. Objective: Aflatoxin is a liver toxin and carcinogen contaminating staple maize food. In this study we examined its role in chronic hepatomegaly. Methods: Plasma samples collected in 2002 and again in 2004 from 218 children attending two schools in neighboring villages were assayed for aflatoxin exposure using the aflatoxin-albumin adduct (AF-alb) biomarker. Data were previously examined for associations among hepatomegaly, malaria, and schistosomiasis. Results: AF-alb levels were high in children from both schools, but the geometric mean (95% confidence interval) in year 2002 was significantly higher in Matangini [206.5 (175.5, 243.0) pg/mg albumin] than in Yumbuni [73.2 (61.6, 87.0) pg/mg; p < 0.001]. AF-alb levels also were higher in children with firm hepatomegaly [176.6 (129.6, 240.7) pg/mg] than in normal children [79.9 (49.6, 128.7) pg/mg; p = 0.029]. After adjusting for Schistosoma mansoni and Plasmodium infection, we estimated a significant 43% increase in the prevalence of hepatomegaly/hepatosplenomegaly for every natural-log-unit increase in AF-alb. In 2004, AF-alb levels were markedly higher than in 2002 [539.7 (463.3, 628.7) vs. 114.5 (99.7, 131.4) pg/mg; p < 0.001] but with no significant difference between the villages or between hepatomegaly and normal groups [539.7 (436.7, 666.9) vs. 512.6 (297.3, 883.8) pg/mg], possibly because acute exposures during an aflatoxicosis outbreak in 2004 may have masked any potential underlying relationship. Conclusions: Exposure to aflatoxin was associated with childhood chronic hepatomegaly in 2002. These preliminary data suggest an additional health risk that may be related to aflatoxin exposure in children, a hypothesis that merits further testing. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|