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Acetylcholinesterase Activity and Thyroid Hormone Levels in Ecuadorian Adolescents Living in Agricultural Settings Where Organophosphate Pesticides Are Used



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  • Personal Author:
  • Description:
    Background: Organophosphates are frequently applied insecticides that inhibit acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity resulting in cholinergic overstimulation. Limited evidence suggests that organophosphates may alter thyroid hormone levels, although studies have yielded inconsistent findings. We aimed to test the associations between AChE activity, a physiological marker of organophosphate exposure, and thyroid function in adolescents. Methods: We included information of 80 adolescent participants (ages 12-17y in 2016, 53% male) growing up in agricultural settings in Ecuador. We measured fingerstick erythrocytic AChE activity and hemoglobin concentration, and concurrent serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and free-T4 (fT4) concentrations. General linear models were used to test associations which adjusted for demographic and anthropometric variables. TSH associations were further adjusted for fT4. Results: The mean (SD) AChE, TSH and fT4 levels were 3.77 U/mL (0.55), 2.82 microIU/ml (1.49) and 1.11 ng/dl (0.13), respectively. Lower AChE activity, indicating greater organophosphate exposure, was marginally associated with greater fT4 concentrations (difference per SD decrease in AChE activity (beta) = 0.03 ng/dL, [90% CI: 0.00, 0.06]) but not with TSH (beta = -0.01 microIU/ml, [-0.38, 0.36]). Gender modified the AChE-TSH association (p = 0.03). In girls, lower AChE activity was associated with higher fT4 levels (beta=0.05 ng/dL [0.01, 0.10]) and lower TSH concentrations (beta = -0.51 microIU/ml, [-1.00, -0.023]). No associations were observed in boys. Discussion: These cross-sectional findings suggest that alterations in the cholinergic system from organophosphate exposures can increase fT4 levels coupled with a beyond-compensatory downregulation of TSH in female adolescents. This is the first study to characterize these associations in adolescents. [Description provided by NIOSH]
  • Subjects:
  • Keywords:
  • ISSN:
    1438-4639
  • Document Type:
    Text
  • Funding:
    Grant
  • Genre:
    Journal Article
  • Place as Subject:
  • CIO:
    National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
  • Topic:
    Workplace Safety & Health
  • Location:
    North America
  • Volume:
    233
  • NIOSHTIC Number:
    nn:20062378
  • Citation:
    Int J Hyg Environ Health 2021 Apr; 233:113691
  • Contact Point Address:
    Jose Ricardo Suarez-Lopez, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC: 0725, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0725, USA
  • Email:
    jrsuarez@health.ucsd.edu
  • Federal Fiscal Year:
    2021
  • Performing Organization:
    University of Minnesota Twin Cities
  • Peer Reviewed:
    True
  • Start Date:
    20070930
  • Source Full Name:
    International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health
  • End Date:
    20090531
  • Collection(s):
  • Main Document Checksum:
    urn:sha-512:60f45fb284bd28744040fb965916f4a1a85e3a9311d9becae0e719b8459f7522e027e77c551d8a95a306e01739535f70566a718d6a349c4963b8b920e9fb8bc7
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 992.48 KB ]
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