Pollution increases risk of liver disease

Environmental pollution is likely to increase the risk of liver disease among the adult population, something which was unknown earlier, says a new study.

This work builds upon the groups' previous research demonstrating liver disease in highly-exposed chemical workers.

"Our study found that greater than one in three US adults had liver disease, even after excluding those with traditional risk factors such as alcoholism and viral hepatitis," said Matthew Cave, a professor at the University of Louisville (UL).

"Our study shows that some of these cases may be attributable to environmental pollution, even after adjusting for obesity, which is another major risk factor for liver disease," he said.

Using the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), UL researchers examined chronic low-level exposure to 111 common pollutants including lead, mercury and pesticides and their association with otherwise unexplained liver disease in adults.

The specific pollutants included were detectable in 60 percent or more of the 4,500 study subjects, said a UL release.

Cave will present these data in Chicago at the Digestive Disease Week 2009 (DDW), the largest international gathering of physicians and researchers in gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.