Maternal lead exposure and risk of congenital heart defects occurrence in offspring

- We studied maternal lead exposure and fetal CHD occurrence in China.
- Higher level of maternal hair lead was found in cases compared to in controls.
- Offspring with CHDs was related to maternal lead exposure.
- High lead levels may be associated with the development of some subtypes of CHD occurrence.
- Future studies were needed to consider prospective with larger sample sizes to confirm.

Maternal lead exposure may be harmful to fetal development. However, sufficient evidence was lacked about the risk on cardiac development in offspring. To explore the association between maternal lead exposure and risks of congenital heart defects (CHDs) occurrence in fetuses, a case-control study was adopted during pregnant women making antenatal examinations. The maternal hair lead levels were measured by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and logistic regression analysis was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR). Three hundred and sixteen cases and 348 controls were eligible to the study. The median level of lead in maternal hair of case (0.670 ng/mg) was significantly higher (AOR 3.07, 95% CI 2.00-4.72) than that of the control (0.461 ng/mg), including the CHD cases with or without extracardiac malformations (AOR 3.55, 2.94, respectively). Maternal lead exposure is associated with the risk of some subtypes of CHDs occurrence in offspring. The potential dose-response relationship is also presented.