AccScience Publishing / JCTR / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/jctr.22.00187
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Association between pesticide exposure and ischemic heart disease among adults who took part in the Rafsanjan cohort study

Soheila Pourmasumi1,2 Parvin Khalili1,3 Zahra Jamali4 Ali Esmaeili Nadimi4 Hamid Hakimi5 Soudeh Khanamani Falahati-pour6 Alireza Vakilian4,7 Monavar Naderi8 Zahra Ahmadi6 Mohammad Reza Vazifeshenas9 Alireza Nazari1,10 Fatemeh Ayoobi11 Ioanna Koniari12 Nicholas G. Kounis13*
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1 Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
2 Clinical Research Development Unit, Ali-Ibn Abi-Talib Hospital, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
3 Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
4 Non-Communicable Diseases Research Center, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
5 Immunology of Infectious Diseases Research Center, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
6 Pistachio Safety Research Center, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
7 Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
8 Knowledge and Information Science, Vice Chancellor for Science and Technology, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
9 Department of Improvement Plant and Seed, Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center Research, AREEO, Yazd, Iran
10 Clinical Research Development Unit (CRDU), Moradi Hospital, Rafsanjan University of Medical sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
11 Occupational Safety and Health Research Center, NICICO, World Safety Organization and Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
12 Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester M23 9LT, United Kingdom
13 Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, University of Patras Medical School, 26500 Patras, Greece
Submitted: 5 November 2024 | Revised: 7 January 2025 | Accepted: 7 January 2025 | Published: 3 February 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is recognized as a major cause of death worldwide. Sustained exposure to pesticides is a significant factor that can increase morbidity and mortality rates due to CVD. Aims: This study aimed to investigate the effects of pesticide exposure on CVD among adult participants in the Rafsanjan cohort study (RCS). Methods: Data were analyzed from 9,990 adult participants of RCS as a part of the Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IRAN. Data on personal habits, lifestyle, demographic characteristics, comorbidity history, physical activity, and pesticide exposure were collected via face-to-face questionnaires. The prevalence of ischemic heart disease (IHD) was assessed based on the medical history questionnaire of the participants. IHD was defined as a cardiac condition (either IHD or heart failure) diagnosed by a physician. Results: The mean age of participants with IHD was significantly higher than that of healthy participants (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the prevalence of IHD was higher in men compared to women (P = 0.003). In addition, the duration of pesticide exposure at home in men was significantly associated with IHD (P = 0.047). None of the other variables demonstrated a significant correlation with the prevalence of IHD. Conclusion: Pesticide exposure may increase the risk of IHD, as indicated by the results of the studied population. Implementing continuous, well-structured educational programs for individuals professionally exposed to pesticides is important. These programs should focus on personal protection and the safe use of pesticides to prevent or decrease the risk of CVDs. Relevance for patients: It is important for farmers, agricultural workers, and those living near agricultural areas to understand the risks that pesticides pose to cardiovascular health.

Keywords
Cardiovascular disease
Cohort study
Ischemic heart disease
Pesticides
Prospective epidemiological research studies in IRAN
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.
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Journal of Clinical and Translational Research, Electronic ISSN: 2424-810X Print ISSN: 2382-6533, Published by AccScience Publishing