Genetic polymorphism of toxicant-metabolizing enzymes and prognosis of Chinese workers with chronic benzene poisoning.

Workers with chronic benzene poisoning (CBP) sometimes have a white blood cell count (WBC) below 4 x 10(9)/L even after cessation of workplace exposure to benzene for years. In order to explore this phenomenon, 120 workers with CBP were divided into two groups depending on the WBC, the mean diagnostic age of CBP, benzene exposure duration, and body mass index (BMI). The proportion of genotypes of cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1), glutathione-S-transferase mu-1 (GSTM1), glutathione-S-transferase theta-1 (GSTT1), myeloperoxidase (MPO), and NAD(P)H, quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) were compared between workers with WBC <4 x 10(9)/L and those with WBC > or =4 x 10(9)/L. With methods of logistic regression, a risk model was set up to predict the prognosis of CBP workers. The results indicated that the BMI of workers with WBC <4 x 10(9)/L was lower than that of workers with WBC of > or =4 x 10(9)/L (21.40 +/- 2.76 versus 23.09 +/- 3.36, P = 0.01), and the logistic regression model suggested there was a 4.5-fold increased risk among workers carrying GSTT1 null genotype (95% CI= 1.13- 17.54) compared with workers with GSTT1 non-null genotype. Our findings suggest that benzene exposure duration, BMI, and GSTT1 genotype may impact prognosis of the CBP workers.