First trimester plasma PER- AND Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and blood pressure trajectories across the second and third trimesters of pregnanacy

Jordan A. Burdeau; Briana J.K. Stephenson; Izzuddin M. Aris; Emma V. Preston; Marie-France Hivert; Emily Oken; Shruthi Mahalingaiah; Jorge E. Chavarro; Antonia M. Calafat; Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman; Ami R. Zota; Tamarra James-Todd

Environment International (Apr 2024)

First trimester plasma PER- AND Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) and blood pressure trajectories across the second and third trimesters of pregnanacy

Jordan A. Burdeau,
Briana J.K. Stephenson,
Izzuddin M. Aris,
Emma V. Preston,
Marie-France Hivert,
Emily Oken,
Shruthi Mahalingaiah,
Jorge E. Chavarro,
Antonia M. Calafat,
Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman,
Ami R. Zota,
Tamarra James-Todd

Affiliations

Jordan A. Burdeau: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Corresponding author at: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 667 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
Briana J.K. Stephenson: Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
Izzuddin M. Aris: Division of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA
Emma V. Preston: Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
Marie-France Hivert: Division of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Diabetes Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
Emily Oken: Division of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA
Shruthi Mahalingaiah: Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
Jorge E. Chavarro: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
Antonia M. Calafat: Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman: Division of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA
Ami R. Zota: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
Tamarra James-Todd: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Division of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 186
p. 108628

Abstract

Read online

Background: Evidence suggests that exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) increases risk of high blood pressure (BP) during pregnancy. Prior studies did not examine associations with BP trajectory parameters (i.e., overall magnitude and velocity) during pregnancy, which is linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes. Objectives: To estimate associations of multiple plasma PFAS in early pregnancy with BP trajectory parameters across the second and third trimesters. To assess potential effect modification by maternal age and parity. Methods: In 1297 individuals, we quantified six PFAS in plasma collected during early pregnancy (median gestational age: 9.4 weeks). We abstracted from medical records systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) measurements, recorded from 12 weeks gestation until delivery. BP trajectory parameters were estimated via Super Imposition by Translation and Rotation modeling. Subsequently, Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) was employed to estimate individual and joint associations of PFAS concentrations with trajectory parameters – adjusting for maternal age, race/ethnicity, pre-pregnancy body mass index, income, parity, smoking status, and seafood intake. We evaluated effect modification by age at enrollment and parity. Results: We collected a median of 13 BP measurements per participant. In BKMR, higher concentration of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) was independently associated with higher magnitude of overall SBP and DBP trajectories (i.e., upward shift of trajectories) and faster SBP trajectory velocity, holding all other PFAS at their medians. In stratified BKMR analyses, participants with ≥ 1 live birth had more pronounced positive associations between PFOS and SBP velocity, DBP magnitude, and DBP velocity – compared to nulliparous participants. We did not observe significant associations between concentrations of the overall PFAS mixture and either magnitude or velocity of the BP trajectories. Conclusion: Early pregnancy plasma PFOS concentrations were associated with altered BP trajectory in pregnancy, which may impact future cardiovascular health of the mother.

Published in Environment International

ISSN: 0160-4120 (Print)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Geography. Anthropology. Recreation: Environmental sciences
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/environment-international

About the journal

Abstract

Keywords