The well-documented fact that chronic arsenic exposure can
lead to skin lesions, atherosclerotic diseases and cancers.
The findings of association between arsenic exposure and
diabetes mellitus indicate additional risk to human health.
The aim of this study was to observe the association of chronic
arsenic exposure from drinking water and risk of development
of type 2 diabetes mellitus. To this end, a cross-sectional study
was conducted in Comilla district of Bangladesh where ground
water is heavily contaminated with arsenic. The individuals
unexposed to arsenic were recruited from the Jhenaidah
district. People with arsenic-related skin lesions were defined
as subjects exposed to arsenic. Diabetes was defined if fasting
blood glucose (FBG)>6.1 mmol/L following World Health
Organization (WHO) guidelines.
The common odds ratio for diabetes mellitus among subjects
exposed to arsenic was 3.5 (95% confidence interval 1.1-10.9).
After adjustment for age, sex and BMI, the Mantel-Haenszel
weighted prevalence ratio was 3.5 (95% CI: 1.1-11.1); 3.7
(95% CI: 1.1-11.8) and 4.4 (95% CI: 1.1-17.2) respectively.
The indicated relationships were significant (P<0.05).
The observations suggested, chronic arsenic exposure through
drinking water may be a risk factor of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Key Words: Arsenic, Drinking water, Diabetes mellitus,
Bangladesh
(J Bangladesh Coll Phys Surg 2019; 37: 5-12)