الفهرس 
DEFINITION OF ECOESTROGENOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 16 |  |  |
| | | from | 16 | | |
Abstract
or many years humans have been adding chemicals and pollutants to
the environment. Some of these chemicals can alter endocrine
function e.g. can alter the synthesis, catabolism and action of natural
hormones and their corresponding receptors. These substances are often
termed environmental estrogens or “xenoestrogens” or ecoestrogens but
are also sometimes referred to as endocrine disruptors or endocrine
modulators. Many of these chemicals (which include pesticides,
plasticizers, household products and detergents, pharmaceuticals and
industrial chemicals) are now present in nature. In addition, humans are
exposed to these chemicals through the food chain via bioaccumulation.
One of the biggest health threats facing humans today is the excess
estrogen assault from our environment. Detection of estrogens in
the environment has raised concerns in recent years because of their
potential to affect both wildlife and humans. In recent years there has been
a growing evidence that exposure to chemicals in the environment poses a
serious threat to human and animals reproduction via disrupting effects on
endocrine function. Despite the fact that these substances are persistent,
they may be metabolized into more toxic compounds than the parent
molecule in endocrine organs. This endocrine disrupting chemicals
(EDCs) adversely affect health and reproduction even at very low
concentrations and may exert their effects on the embryo and fetus.
An endocrine disrupter is an exogenous substance or mixture that
alters function(s) of the endocrine system and consequently causes
adverse health effects in an intact organism, or its progeny, or (sub) populations”. There are clearly two requirements for a substance to be
defined as an endocrine disrupter, namely that of the demonstration of an
adverse effect and of an endocrine disruption mode-of-action.
Additionally, the definition implies proof of causality between the
observed adverse effect and the endocrine disruption mode-of-action.
Environmental exogenous estrogens, otherwise referred to as
xenoestrogens or ecoestrogens, are endocrine disruptors, structurally
similar to estrogens. Xenoestrogens are clinically significant because they
can mimic the effects of endogenous estrogen and thus have been
implicated in precocious puberty and other disorders of the reproductive
system. Exogenous estrogens can be found in pesticides, flexible plastics,
interior lining of canned foods, various cosmetics and numerous other
products. Exogenous estrogens are thought to cause many detrimental
health effects.
EDs are exogenous compounds that interfere with the synthesis,
secretion, transport, metabolism, and/or action of endogenous hormones
that are responsible for normal homeostasis, reproduction, and
development. Chemicals with hormonal activity can be divided into three
main groups: (i) synthetic compounds used in industry and agriculture as
well as in consumer products, (ii) synthetic compounds used in
pharmaceutical drugs, and (iii) natural compounds present in the food
chain.
This cross-section survey was conducted in Helwan University.
This study was carried out randomly on one hundred students 60 female
and 40 male. The students were subjected to History taking asking for manifestations of estrogen dominance, we also checked exposure to
chemical substances which are commonly used in day to day living and
have estrogenic effect. Both General and local examination for the
students including measuring the weight, height, waist circumference then
calculating BMI, distribution of body fat and breast examination for
detecting gynecomastia in males. Blood samples were collected for female
students testing 17b Estradiol hormone. For the male students Semen
analysis was done. For the female students Pelvic ultrasound was done
searching for signs of endocrinal disruption as PCO (poly cystic ovary) or
Fibroids.
The study results were alarming when we found 40% of semen
analyses of the students were poor these data are worrying because ”it has
been verified in recognized studies that a concentration lower than 40
million/ml makes conception more difficult. If the rate of loss we have
outlines continues, with an average decline in quality of 2% per year, the
sperm of young men could reach this danger level of 40 million/ml in a
very short space of time.”, and when we found half of the female students
experienced early menarch, nearly half of the female students 45% have
menstrual irregularities, nearly one third 35% have PCO, third 30 %have
fibroid at this young age and when it was founded more than third 37.5%
of the male students have gynecomastia, and when it was founded that
73% of the students are above normal weight and we all know all risks
associated with weight gain especially when it was founded 59% of the
students have abdominal obesity and 56% have multiple health problems
of estrogen dominance manifestations all together Despite of normal 17
beta estradiol. All tested manifestations of estrogen dominance present with a
high percent we shouldn’t stay still and we are calling the national
governmental and nongovernmental organizations to start investigate and
direct more research towards this critical environmental and health
problem. Students were extensively dealing with sources of ecoestrogen.
There is an extensive exposure to environmental estrogen in university
environment and its health effects are present heavily and needs urgent
attention.
This study recommend that much better understanding of the role of
chemicals as causal factors of a wider range of endocrine diseases and
disorders is needed. As ecoestrogen tend to be released into the
environment as mixtures, rather than individual chemicals. Therefore, it is
important to understand the effects of simultaneous co exposures to these
chemicals, increasing the funding for effects of chemicals as having
straightforward health information tools to share this information with
patients and for public education in general are recommended. More
screening for exposures and targeting at-risk groups is a high priority.
Data in Egypt is spars so we need to direct more research to this serious
and alarming environmental and health problem.