Association between Blood Mercury Levels and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Non-Obese Populations: The Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) 2012–2014

Yun-Jung Yang, Eun-Jung Yang, Kyongjin Park, Subin Oh, Taehyen Kim and Yeon-Pyo Hong
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Yun-Jung Yang: Institute of Biomedical Science, Catholic Kwandong University International St. Mary’s Hospital, Incheon 22711, Korea
Eun-Jung Yang: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Korea
Kyongjin Park: College of Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung-si 25601, Korea
Subin Oh: College of Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung-si 25601, Korea
Taehyen Kim: College of Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung-si 25601, Korea
Yeon-Pyo Hong: Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Korea

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 12, 1-11

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.

Keywords: mercury; hepatic steatosis index; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Korean National Environmental Health Survey; non-obese (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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