Perfluoroalkyl Substances and Abdominal Aortic Calcification.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate if serum perfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) were associated with abdominal aortic calcification (AAC).

METHODS

We used weighted logistic regression to investigate the gender-specific association between PFAS serum levels and AAC more than or equal to 6 from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans of the thoraco-lumbar spine from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013-2014 survey participants aged more than or equal to 40 years.

RESULTS

After adjusting for confounding, none of log-transformed perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), or perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) were significantly associated with AAC for either men or women (adjusted odds ratios [ORs] ranged from 0.80 to 1.33, P  > 0.05 each). For PFOA and PFOS, the association was positive only in women (although the difference was not statistically significant in either case).

CONCLUSION

These findings do not provide general support for a relationship of PFAS exposure to AAC, although the results show a need for gender-specific consideration in a larger dataset.