Association of Blood Mercury Level with Liver Enzymes in Korean Adults: An Analysis of 2015–2017 Korean National Environmental Health Survey

Jin-Wook Chung, Dilaram Acharya, Jitendra Kumar Singh and Joon Sakong ()
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Jin-Wook Chung: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center, Daegu 41931, Republic of Korea
Dilaram Acharya: Department of Management, Evaluation and Health Policy, School of Public Health, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3N 1X9, Canada
Jitendra Kumar Singh: Department of Community Medicine, Janaki Medical College, Tribhuvan University, Janakpur 456000, Nepal
Joon Sakong: Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu 42415, Republic of Korea

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 4, 1-13

Abstract: Increased liver enzymes as a result of exposure to mercury and their toxic effects are not well understood in Korea at the population level. The effect of blood mercury concentration on alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was evaluated after adjusting for sex, age, obesity, alcohol consumption habit, smoking, and exercise parameters in 3712 adults. The risk of abnormal liver function was measured using a multiple logistic regression analysis. Blood mercury concentration was divided into quartiles, and liver enzyme levels were compared for each quartile. ALT and AST levels were 10–20% higher in the second, third, and fourth quartiles compared to the first quartile. The risk of liver dysfunction or elevated liver enzymes was significantly higher in the second, third, and fourth quartiles than in the first quartile. As blood mercury levels increased, liver enzymes and mercury-induced hepatotoxicity increased. The increase in liver enzymes caused by mercury was more pronounced in the low-mercury concentration range. To reduce the long-standing problem of abnormal liver enzymes and liver function in Korea and other similar settings, it is important to decrease exposure to mercury through effective implementation of specific health and environmental strategies.

Keywords: alanine aminotransferase; aspartate aminotransferase blood mercury level; Korean adults (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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