Mutual interaction between nutritional status and chronic arsenic toxicity due to groundwater contamination in an area of Terai, lowland Nepal

摘要

Objective: To reveal the inter-relationship between nutritional status and arsenic toxicity.rnDesign: Cross-sectional study.rnSetting: A survey in an area of lowland Nepal, where a high prevalence of both skin manifestation andrnmalnutrition was observed. Daily arsenic intake was estimated by measuring the arsenic concentration andrndaily consumption of the drinking water.rnParticipants: Adult villagers (248 men and 291 women). About half were classified as "underweight" (bodyrnmass index < 18.5), indicating poor nutritional status.rnMain results: Arsenic intake was negatively correlated with body mass index and substantially increased thernprevalence of underweight individuals, among whom the prevalence of skin manifestations was 1.65-foldrnhigher than normal weight individuals. When exposure level was considered, the prevalence of skinrnsymptoms was consistently higher in the underweight than in the normal group. Although enhancedrnsusceptibility in men was apparent by the increased prevalence of cutaneous symptoms, no sex differencernwas observed in the prevalence of underweight individuals related with exposure to arsenic.rnConclusions: The present data suggested that exposure to arsenic is associated with an increased prevalencernof underweight, a serious health problem in developing countries, which in turn is associated with increasedrnskin manifestation of arsenic poisoning.