Plasma Vitamin B12 and Folate Alter the Association of Blood Lead and Cadmium and Total Urinary Arsenic Levels with Chronic Kidney Disease in a Taiwanese Population

Heavy metals causing chronic nephrotoxicity may play a key role in the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study hypothesized that plasma folate and vitamin B-12 would modify the association of CKD with total urinary arsenic and blood lead and cadmium levels. We recruited 220 patients with CKD who had an estimated glomerular filtration rate of < 60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) for & GE;3 consecutive months and 438 sex- and age-matched controls. We performed inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to measure blood cadmium and lead levels. The urinary arsenic level was determined using a high-performance liquid chromatography-hydride generator-atomic absorption spectrometry. Plasma vitamin B-12 and folate levels were measured through the SimulTRAC-SNB radioassay. Compared with patients with plasma vitamin B-12 & LE; 6.27 pg/mL, the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval of CKD for patients with plasma vitamin B-12 > 9.54 pg/mL was 2.02 (1.15-3.55). However, no association was observed between plasma folate concentration and CKD. A high level of plasma vitamin B-12 combined with high levels of blood lead and cadmium level and total urinary arsenic tended to increase the OR of CKD in a dose-response manner, but the interactions were nonsignificant. This is the first study to demonstrate that patients with high plasma vitamin B-12 level exhibit increased OR of CKD related to high levels of blood cadmium and lead and total urinary arsenic.

Automated summary

This study found that high plasma vitamin B-12 levels may increase the risk of chronic kidney disease, especially in the presence of high levels of blood lead and cadmium, as well as total urinary arsenic levels.