Association between blood mercury levels and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in non-obese populations: The korean national environmental health survey (konehs) 2012–2014
- Authors
- Yang, Y.-J.; Yang, E.-J.; Park, K.; Oh, S.; Kim, T.; Hong, Y.-P.
- Issue Date
- Jun-2021
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Keywords
- Hepatic steatosis index; Korean National Environmental Health Survey; Mercury; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Non-obese
- Citation
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, v.18, no.12
- Journal Title
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Volume
- 18
- Number
- 12
- URI
- https://scholarworks.bwise.kr/cau/handle/2019.sw.cau/52266
- DOI
- 10.3390/ijerph18126412
- ISSN
- 1661-7827
1660-4601
- Abstract
- Mercury is widely distributed in the environment, and a plausible association between mercury exposure and hepatic damage has been reported. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which comprises a spectrum of liver diseases, has recently been recognized in non-obese subjects. However, there have been no studies on the relationship between internal mercury levels and NAFLD in non-obese individuals. Therefore, we investigated the association between blood mercury levels and NAFLD in non-obese subjects. Cross-sectional data (n = 5919) were obtained from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (2012–2014). NAFLD was defined using the hepatic steatosis index (HSI). Blood mercury levels were log-transformed and divided into quartiles based on a weighted sample distribution. The association between blood mercury levels and NAFLD was analyzed using a multivariate logistic analysis after body mass index stratification. The geometric mean of blood mercury in the overweight group was significantly higher than that of the non-obese group (p < 0.001). The weighted frequencies of patients with NAFLD based on the HSI were 3.0–7.2% for the non-obese subjects and 52.3–63.2% for the overweight subjects. In the multivariate analysis, blood mercury levels were positively associated with NAFLD for both the overweight and non-obese groups (all p for trend < 0.001). Increased blood mercury levels are closely associated with NAFLD. In particular, mercury could be a risk factor for NAFLD in the non-obese population. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
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