The association between blood pressure and blood cadmium in a Chinese population living in cadmium polluted area

•Cadmium level in blood was associated with elevation in blood pressure.•The prevalence of hypertension was increased with the increasing of BCd.•Association of cadmium and blood pressure was mainly found in female.

Cadmium exposure may be associated with high risk of hypertension. But inconsistent results have been reported. In this study, the association of blood pressure (BP) with blood cadmium (BCd) and the possible influencing factors were investigated. A total of 181 persons (71 men and 110 women) living near a cadmium smelter participated in this study. The participants completed a questionnaire and BP, BCd and related biochemical indicators were measured. The geometric mean of BCd was 3.84 μg/L and 3.32 μg/L for women and men. The systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure both increased with the increasing of BCd. The BP in women was positively correlated with BCd (p < 0.05). The BCd level of participants with hypertension was obvious higher (+28%) than those with normal BP. The prevalence of hypertension was increased with the increasing of BCd, in particular to women (χ2 = 3.896, p = 0.048). Cadmium level in blood was associated with elevation in blood pressure, especially for women.