Can a battery of functional and sensory tests corroborate the sensorineural complaints of subjects working with vibrating tools?

Citation
N. Cock et al., Can a battery of functional and sensory tests corroborate the sensorineural complaints of subjects working with vibrating tools?, INT A OCCUP, 73(5), 2000, pp. 316-322
Citations number
27
Categorie Soggetti
Envirnomentale Medicine & Public Health","Pharmacology & Toxicology
Journal title
INTERNATIONAL ARCHIVES OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
ISSN journal
03400131 → ACNP
Volume
73
Issue
5
Year of publication
2000
Pages
316 - 322
Database
ISI
SICI code
0340-0131(200007)73:5<316:CABOFA>2.0.ZU;2-T
Abstract
Objectives: The objective of the present paper is to study the relationship between the early sensorineural symptoms, classified according to the Stoc kholm scale, and the results of the main functional and sensory tests descr ibed in the literature, in subjects working with vibrating tools, Methods: Three groups of male workers were selected from industry: one group (69 sub jects) exposed to hand-arm vibration in several workplaces, one group (62) pel forming heavy and repetitive hand and arm work but without exposure to vibration, and one control group (46) performing light and non-repetitive t asks without vibration. All the workers were interviewed by questionnaire, about their personal characteristics, their health status, their actual and past working conditions and the episodes of tingling at the level of the f ingers. From these reported symptoms, the sensorineural stage of the hand-a rm vibration was determined using the Stockholm scale. Based on the review of the literature, we selected six functional and sensory tests: maximum vo luntary grip force, maximum angles of the wrist, pressure perception thresh old test, vibration perception threshold test, distal sensory latency and t he Purdue Pegboard test. Each test was performed by the workers in the thre e groups. Results: No main differences were observed between the personal c haracteristics of the three groups. According to the Stockholm scale, the s ensorineural symptoms were mainly at stage SN1, with 9% at stage SN2 and no ne at stage SN3. These symptoms are associated with exposure to vibration, and had a prevalence of 40% in group 1, versus 20% in the two other groups. Furthermore, 25% of the workers exposed to vibration complained of symptom s at least once a week, compared with only 2% in the other groups. The mult ivariate logistic regression analysis showed an association between the exi stence of symptoms and a decrease in the maximum flexion angle of the wrist and an increase in the pressure perception threshold. This association, ho wever, was too low to determine limit values with a sensitivity and specifi city sufficiently high to make a reliable diagnosis. Conclusions: The senso rineural symptoms at stage N1 on the Stockholm scale, experienced occasiona lly by some 40% of the users of vibrating tools, could not be corroborated by the functional and sensory tests.