Association between heavy metals, high-sensitivity C-reaction protein and 10-year risk of cardiovascular diseases among adult Korean population

The prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in Korea tends to be increasing. It has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Increasing evidence shows heavy metals are associated with increased CVD risk. We aimed to determine the association between the serum heavy metal levels and 10-year risk of CVDs and to predict risks of CVDs based on marginal effects. Heavy metals were measured by a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry and direct mercury analyzer. The results show a significant relationship between the increase in cadmium, lead, mercury, hs-CRP levels and the 10-year risk of CVD after adjustment for serum cotinine, age group, sex, body mass index, a family history of CVDs, diabetes or hyperlipidemia, high-risk drinking, physical activity, and diabetes. A doubling of serum cadmium, lead, mercury, and hs-CRP was associated with the increase in the 10-year risk of CVD by 0.14%, 0.10%, 0.11% and 0.22%, respectively. Therefore, a special concern should be given to the harmful impacts of heavy metals on the 10-year risk of CVD. It is important to develop a prevention strategy targeting the high-risk population to slow down this progression to risk factors related to heavy metals and reduce prevalence. Remarkedly, hs-CRP is the most validated and widely used inflammatory marker, and could be a potential clinical value in predicting and monitoring CVDs.