Background and Objective:
Exposure to environmental toxic metals is known to be a global public health concern because of the serious adverse effects on human health. Many studies reported an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases (CVD), the leading cause of death in the “developed world”, linked to cadmium (Cd) exposure. This meta-analysis aims to assess the correlation between different levels of cadmium exposure and the risk of overall CVD and of stroke.

Methods:
The protocol registration in PROSPERO has been submitted for publication (registration number CRD42022360751). To find eligible articles, we conducted a literature search on three different databases from inception up to 7 December 2022: PubMed, Web of Science and Embase. We used MeSH terms and keywords related to “cadmium”, “cardiovascular diseases” and “stroke”, excluding reviews. We defined the following inclusion criteria according to the PECOS statement: adult population, lower or higher Cd exposure (occupational, smoking, food products and water) and the related risk of developing overall CVD or stroke, and observational studies (cohort, cross-sectional or case-control). Whenever possible, we will perform a dose-response meta-analysis using the one-stage approach through a random-effects model.

Results:
In the preliminary literature search, we found a total of 1459 articles and we deleted 312 duplicates. Further study selection according to inclusion criteria is ongoing.

Conclusions:
The study is currently under way and its results will be presented at the Congress.