Concentrations of Lead, Mercury, Arsenic, Cadmium, Manganese, and Aluminum in the Blood of Pakistani Children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Associated Factors

Mohammad H. Rahbar, Shahnaz H. Ibrahim, Syed Iqbal Azam, Manouchehr Hessabi, Fatima Karim, Sori Kim, Jing Zhang, Nasreen Gulzar Ali and Katherine A. Loveland
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Mohammad H. Rahbar: Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Shahnaz H. Ibrahim: Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi 74800, Pakistan
Syed Iqbal Azam: Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi 74800, Pakistan
Manouchehr Hessabi: Biostatistics/Epidemiology/Research Design (BERD) Core, Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS), The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Fatima Karim: Department of Community Health Sciences, Aga Khan University, Karachi 74800, Pakistan
Sori Kim: Biostatistics/Epidemiology/Research Design (BERD) Core, Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS), The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Jing Zhang: Biostatistics/Epidemiology/Research Design (BERD) Core, Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences (CCTS), The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Nasreen Gulzar Ali: Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi 74800, Pakistan
Katherine A. Loveland: Louis A Faillace, MD, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77054, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 16, 1-18

Abstract: Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with early onset in utero or childhood. Environmental exposure to six metals (Pb, Hg, As, Cd, Mn, Al) is believed to be associated with ASD directly or interactively with genes. Objective : To assess the association of ASD among Pakistani children with the six metals and genotype frequencies of three GST genes ( GSTP1 , GSTM1 , GSTT1 ). Methods: We enrolled 30 ASD cases, age 2–12 years old, and 30 age- and sex-matched typically developing (TD) controls in Karachi, Pakistan. We assessed associations of ASD status with various factors using Conditional Logistic Regression models. We also used General Linear Models to assess possible interaction of blood Mn and Pb concentrations with the three GST genes in relation to ASD status. Results: The unadjusted difference between ASD and TD groups in terms of geometric mean blood Pb concentrations was marginally significant ( p = 0.05), but for Al concentrations, the adjusted difference was marginally significant ( p = 0.06). Conclusions: This is the first study reporting six blood metal concentrations of Pakistani children with ASD. Estimates provided for possible interactions of GST genes with Mn and Pb in relation to ASD status are valuable for designing future similar studies.

Keywords: autism spectrum disorder; interaction; GST genes ( GSTP1 , GSTM1 , GSTT1 ); metals; Pakistan (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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