A Prospective Cohort Study Investigating an Exposure-Response Relationship among Vibration-Exposed Male Workers with Numbness of the Hands

• Published in: Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment ＆ Health Vol. 40; no. 2; pp. 203 - 209
• Main Authors: EDLUND, Maria, BURSTRÖM, Lage, GERHARDSSON, Lars, LUNDSTRÖM, Ronnie, NILSSON, Tohr, SANDEN, Helena, HAGBERG, Mats
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Helsinki Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment ＆ Health 01.03.2014; Nordic Association of Occupation Safety and Health; Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health; Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health; Nordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health (NOROSH)
• Subjects: Adult; arm vibration; association; Biological and medical sciences; Carpal tunnel syndrome; Causality; Cohort analysis; Cohort Studies; Cranial nerves. Spinal roots. Peripheral nerves. Autonomic nervous system. Gustation. Olfaction; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Dosage; Dose response relationship; Employment - statistics & numerical data; Engineering; exposure; exposure–response relationship; Fingers; Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa och socialmedicin; Follow-Up Studies; forest workers; general-population; hand-arm vibration; Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome - epidemiology; Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome - etiology; Hands; HAV; Humans; Hypesthesia; Hypesthesia - epidemiology; Hypesthesia - etiology; International organizations; International standards; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Manual workers; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous. Osteoarticular involvement in other diseases; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurologic manifestations; Neurology; numbness; numbness of the hands; Occupational exposure; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Occupational Exposure - statistics & numerical data; Occupational medicine; prospective cohort; prospective cohort study; Prospective Studies; Public Health, Global Health and Social Medicine; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Questionnaires; Recruitment; Risk Assessment; sensorineural symptom; Survival analysis; Sweden; Symptoms; Thyroid diseases; Time Factors; transmitted vibration; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents; Vascular injuries: limbs, aorta, vena cava; Vibration; Vibration - adverse effects; work; work performance; Sweden; carpal tunnel syndrome; work performance; sensorineural symptom; survival analysis; HAV; hand-arm vibration; Compression; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Male; Occupational exposure; Epidemiology; Dose activity relation; Cohort study; Repetitive micro-trauma; Worker; Job performance; Peripheral nerve disease; Neurological disorder; Hand-arm vibration syndrome; Human; Carpal tunnel syndrome; Nervous system diseases; Vibration; Vibration induced disorder; Hand; Symptomatology; Survival analysis; Striated muscle disease; Follow up study; Musculoskeletal disorder; Vocational aptitude; Occupational medicine
• DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.3386
• ISSN: 0355-3140; 1795-990X

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the exposure-response relationship of hand-arm vibration (HAV) exposure to neurological symptoms (numbness) of the hand in a cohort of vibration-exposed workers. Methods The baseline cohort comprised 241 office and manual workers with and without exposure to HAV. Numbness (the symptom or event) in the hand was assessed for all subjects at baseline and follow-ups after 5,10, and 16 years. The workers were stratified into quartiles with no exposure in the first quartile and increasing intensity of exposure in quartiles 2-4 (groups 1-3). Data analysis was performed using survival analysis (time-to-event). Information on cumulative exposure and years of exposure to event was collected via questionnaires. Measurements were performed in accordance with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 5349-1. Results The hazard ratio (HR) of risk of event (numbness) differed statistically significantly between the nonexposed group (group 0) and the two higher exposure groups (groups 2 and 3). There was also a significant ratio difference between the lowest exposure group (group 1) and the two higher groups. The ratio for group 1 was 1.77 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.96-3.26] compared with 3.78 (95% CI 2.15-6.62) and 5.31 (95% CI 3.06-9.20) for groups 2 and 3, respectively. Conclusion The results suggest a dose-response relationship between vibration exposure and numbness of the hands. This underlines the importance of keeping vibration levels low to prevent neurological injury to the hands.