Perfluoroalkyl, Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Linked to HTN

MONDAY, June 13, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are associated with incident hypertension among midlife multiracial and multiethnic women, according to a study published online June 13 in Hypertension.

Ning Ding, Ph.D., M.P.H., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues examined the association between serum concentrations of PFAS and the risk for developing hypertension among 1,058 midlife women initially free of hypertension from the multiracial and multiethnic Study of Women's Health Across the Nation, with follow-up between 1999 and 2017.

The researchers found that 470 participants developed incident hypertension during 11,722 person-years of follow-up (40.1 cases per 1,000 person-years). Women in the highest versus the lowest tertile of baseline serum concentrations had adjusted hazard ratios of 1.42, 1.47, and 1.42 for perfluorooctane sulfonate, linear perfluorooctanoate, and 2-(N-ethyl-perfluorooctane sulfonamido) acetate, respectively; there were no significant associations observed for perfluorononanoate and perfluorohexane sulfonate. Women in the highest versus the lowest tertile of overall PFAS concentrations had a hazard ratio of 1.71 in the mixture analysis.

"We have known for some time that PFAS disrupt metabolism in the body, yet, we didn't expect the strength of the association we found," a coauthor said in a statement. "We hope that these findings alert clinicians about the importance of PFAS and that they need to understand and recognize PFAS as an important potential risk factor for blood pressure control."

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