Maternal occupational exposure to solvents and gastroschisis in offspring: are gene-environment interactions playing a role?

Maternal occupational exposure to solvents and gastroschisis in offspring: are gene-environment interactions playing a role?:



In a recent issue of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, a study by Spinder et al1 reported the results of the association between maternal occupational exposure to solvents and gastroschisis in offspring. Spinder et al found that among 879 cases and 7817 controls, the overall prevalence of periconceptional solvent exposure was 7.3% and 7.4%, respectively, and exposure to solvent versus no exposure was not associated with gastroschisis after adjusting for maternal age (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.32), nor was an association noted for solvent classes.1 However, we think this conclusion should be treated with caution.

Gene–environment interactions should be considered for this relationship. Some studies have investigated the relationship between gene variants and gastroschisis. Torfs et al found a strong interaction with three gene polymorphisms and maternal smoking, which was recognised as a risk factor for gastroschisis. The results showed smokers without the NOS3 variant...