Table 3 Prevalence of adverse health manifestations among carpenters (N = 193) and painters (N = 72). Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) calculated by logistic regression (Statistically significant differences are shown in bold face)
From: Adverse health manifestations in the hands of vibration exposed carpenters - a cross sectional study
Carpenters N (%) | Painters N (%) | Crude OR (CI) | Age-adjusted OR (CI) | Sensitivity analysisb OR (CI) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Symptoms | |||||
Negative neural manifestations | |||||
Impaired perception of touch | 28 (15) | 3 (4) | 3.9 (1.1–13.3) | 4.4 (1.3–15.0) | 4.2 (0.9–19.0) |
Impaired perception of cold | 19 (10) | 3 (4) | 2.5 (0.7–8.8) | 2.7 (0.8–9.6) | 2.6 (0.5–12.1) |
Impaired perception of warmth | 23 (12) | 2 (3) | 4.7 (1.1–20.6) | 5.7 (1.3–25.4) | 4.1 (0.9–18.8) |
Tendency to drop things | 23 (12) | 3 (4) | 3.1 (0.9–10.7) | 3.3 (0.9–11.5) | 2.9 (0.6–13.3) |
Difficulty buttoning clothes | 13 (7) | 2 (3) | 2.5 (0.6–11.5) | 3.0 (0.7–14.0) | 1.7 (0.3–8.6) |
Impaired grip strength | 35 (18) | 9 (13) | 1.5 (0.7–3.4) | 1.7 (0.8–3.9) | 1.1 (0.4–2.7) |
Positive neural manifestations | |||||
Increased sensation of cold | 67 (35) | 14 (19) | 2.2 (1.1–4.2) | 2.5 (1.3–5.0) | 2.2 (1.1–4.7) |
Numbness or tingling | 51 (26) | 16 (22) | 1.3 (0.7–2.4) | 1.4 (0.7–2.6) | 1.3 (0.6–2.8) |
Cramp | 26 (14) | 8 (11) | 1.2 (0.5–2.9) | 1.2 (0.5–2.9) | 0.8 (0.3–2.1) |
Shaking | 22 (11) | 4 (6) | 2.2 (0.7–6.5) | 2.4 (0.8–7.2) | 2.2 (0.6–8.2) |
Hand sweat | 35 (18) | 8 (11) | 1.7 (0.8–4.0) | 1.5 (0.7–3.6) | 1.5 (0.6–3.8) |
Provoked manifestations | |||||
White fingers at cold or dampness a | 18 (9) | 6 (8) | 1.1 (0.4–2.9) | 1.7 (0.6–4.6) | 2.2 (0.6–7.8) |
Pain in fingers when cold | 47 (24) | 6 (8) | 3.5 (1.4–8.7) | 3.6 (1.4–8.8) | 2.5 (1.0–6.5) |
Musculoskeletal symptoms | |||||
Hand/elbow pain | 60 (31) | 21 (29) | 1.1 (0.6–1.9) | 1.1 (0.6–2.1) | 1.0 (0.5–2.0) |
Neck/shoulder pain | 67 (35) | 36 (50) | 0.5 (0.3–0.9) | 0.6 (0.3–1.0) | 0.6 (0.3–1.1) |
Clinical findings | |||||
Impaired perception of touch | 60 (31) | 25 (35) | 0.9 (0.5–1.5) | 1.3 (0.7–2.6) | 1.6 (0.7–3.3) |
Impaired perception of cold | 12 (6) | 6 (8) | 0.7 (0.3–2.0) | 0.9 (0.3–2.5) | 0.5 (0.2–1.6) |
Impaired perception of warmth | 7 (4) | 3 (4) | 0.9 (0.2–3.4) | 0.9 (0.2–3.6) | 1.0 (0.2–5.4) |
Impaired 2PD | 17 (9) | 2 (3) | 3.4 (0.8–15.1) | 4.1 (0.9–18.4) | 2.5 (0.5–12.0) |
Increased VPT at 125 Hz | 19 (10) | 6 (8) | 1.2 (0.5–3.1) | 1.6 (0.6–4.6) | 1.7 (0.5–5.4) |
Increased VPT at 250 Hz | 38 (20) | 8 (11) | 2.0 (0.9–4.4) | 2.0 (0.9–4.6) | 2.0 (0.8–5.2) |
Increased VPT at 125 and 250 Hz* | 42 (22) | 10 (14) | 1.7 (0.8–.3.7) | 2.0 (0.9–4.5.) | 2.1 (0.9–5.2) |