Comparison of hypertension and diabetes mellitus prevalence in areas with and without water arsenic contamination

BACKGROUND: Arsenic (As), one of the most significant hazards in the environment affecting millions of people around the world is associated with several diseases including cancers, Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and Hypertension (Htn). Drinking water contaminated with inorganic arsenic (iAs) is the primary route of exposure. This study was conducted to determine the difference in the prevalence of DM and Htn in areas with different levels of water contamination of As. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this analytic ecologic study, after measurement of As level in drinking water in all urban regions of Qazvin Province (Islamic Republic of Iran), two cities with As level of 20-30 μg/L and two with the As level <5 μg/L were selected as exposed and unexposed groups, respectively. Measuring the prevalence of above-mentioned diseases in the 30-60 year-old population of the said regions as total sampling, the results were statistically analyzed and compared. RESULTS: The mean prevalence of Htn in exposed and unexposed areas were 7.09% and 3.73%, respectively and for DM were 4.53% and 1.99% in the said groups, respectively. There was a positive correlation between As level and Htn (P < 0.001) and between As level and DM (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: High level of As in drinking water, even in the range of 20-30 μg/L has a relationship with increased prevalence of DM and Htn.