scholarly journals Occupational exposure to noise and cold environment and the risk of death due to myocardial infarction and stroke

Author(s):  
Hans Pettersson ◽  
David Olsson ◽  
Bengt Järvholm

Abstract Purpose The present study examined a possible association between occupational exposure to noise, working and living in cold conditions, and the risk of mortality in myocardial infarction and stroke. Methods The present cohort study consists of 194,501 workers in the Swedish construction industry that participated in health examinations between 1971 and 1993. Noise exposure was defined on a job-exposure matrix based on a survey of the working conditions carried out during the mid 1970s. All workers were categorised into three main regions of Sweden, differing in temperature: Reference (Götaland), colder (Svealand), and coldest (Norrland). Relative risks (RR) were analysed by negative binomial regression adjusting for age, BMI, and smoking habits. Results Moderate and high noise exposure was associated with increased risk of myocardial infarction (RR 1.10–1.13 with 95% CI over unit) and stroke mortality (RR 1.15 to 1.19 with 95% CI over unit). There was an increased risk for myocardial infarction (RR 1.10, 95% CI 1.01–1.20), but not for stroke mortality (RR 1.09, 95% CI 0.94–1.25) associated with living and working in the coldest region. There was an interaction on the risk of myocardial infarction mortality between different regions and noise exposure (p = 0.016), but not for stroke mortality (p = 0.88). Conclusions The study indicates an interaction between working at hazardous noise levels and living and working in cold conditions for increased mortality in myocardial infarction.

Author(s):  
Massimo Fabiani ◽  
Alberto Mateo-Urdiales ◽  
Xanthi Andrianou ◽  
Antonino Bella ◽  
Martina Del Manso ◽  
...  

Background International literature suggests that disadvantaged groups are at higher risk of morbidity and mortality from SARS-CoV-2 infection due to poorer living/working conditions and barriers to healthcare access. Yet, to date, there is no evidence of this disproportionate impact on non-national individuals, including economic migrants, short-term travellers, and refugees. Methods We analysed data from the Italian surveillance system of all COVID-19 laboratory-confirmed cases tested positive from the beginning of the outbreak (20th of February) to the 19th of July 2020. We used multilevel negative-binomial regression models to compare the case-fatality rate and the rate of admission to hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) between Italian and non-Italian nationals. The analysis was adjusted for differences in demographic characteristics, pre-existing comorbidities, and period of diagnosis. Results We analysed 213,180 COVID-19 cases, including 15,974 (7.5%) non-Italian nationals. We found that, compared to Italian cases, non-Italian cases were diagnosed at a later date and were more likely to be hospitalised [(adjusted relative risk (ARR)=1.39, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.33-1.44)] and admitted to ICU (ARR=1.19, 95% CI: 1.07-1.32), with differences being more pronounced in those coming from countries with lower HDI. We also observed an increased risk of death in non-Italian cases from low-HDI countries (ARR=1.32, 95% CI: 1.01-1.75). Conclusions A delayed diagnosis in non-Italian cases could explain their worse outcomes compared to Italian cases. Ensuring early access to diagnosis and treatment to non-Italians could facilitate the control of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and improve health outcomes in all people living in Italy, regardless of nationality.


Author(s):  
Shannon M Dunlay ◽  
Sheila M Manemann ◽  
Ruoxiang Jiang ◽  
Susan A Weston ◽  
Alanna Chamberlain ◽  
...  

Background: Several chronic diseases can contribute to functional disability. However, little is known about functional disability and its progression overtime in chronic heart failure (HF). We aimed to investigate the prevalence and progression of difficulty with activities of daily living (ADLs) and its association with mortality in patients with HF. Methods: We enrolled Southeastern Minnesota residents with HF into a longitudinal study from September 2, 2003 through January 31, 2012. A patient’s difficulty with 9 ADLs (feeding themselves, dressing, toileting, housekeeping, climbing stairs, bathing, walking, using transportation, managing medications) was assessed by questionnaire. Patients were followed for all-cause mortality. Using Rasch analysis to determine the order of ADL difficulty, patients were divided into 3 categories (minimal, moderate, severe difficulty). Predictors of ADL difficulty were assessed using negative binomial regression and the association between ADL difficulty and death with Cox proportional hazard regression. Results: Among 1128 patients (mean age 74.7 years, 49.2% female), most (59.4%) reported difficulty with one or more ADLs at enrollment, with 272 (24.1%) and 146 (12.9%) reporting moderate and severe difficulty, respectively. The independent predictors of difficulty with ADLs were older age, female sex, diabetes, morbid obesity, cerebrovascular disease, dementia, anemia, and unmarried status. After a mean (SD) follow-up of 3.2 (2.4) years, 615 (54.5%) patients had died. There was a stepwise increase in the risk of death as difficulty with ADLs increased ( Figure ). After adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidity, the HR (95% CI) for mortality was 1.52 (1.25-1.83, p<0.001) for patients with moderate and 2.28 (1.82-2.85, p<0.001) for those with severe difficulty with ADLs compared to those with minimal difficulty (p for trend<0.001). In most patients (73.5%), difficulty with ADLs was stable over time. However, survivors reporting persistently severe or worsening ADL difficulty in a second assessment (median 9 months later) were at an increased risk of subsequent mortality (adjusted HR 2.08, 95% CI 1.70-2.55, p<0.001). Conclusions: Functional disability is common in patients with HF, can progress over time, and is independently associated with adverse prognosis.


Author(s):  
Katherine E Goodman ◽  
Laurence S Magder ◽  
Jonathan D Baghdadi ◽  
Lisa Pineles ◽  
Andrea R Levine ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The relationship between common patient characteristics, such as sex and metabolic comorbidities, and mortality from COVID-19 remains incompletely understood. Emerging evidence suggests that metabolic risk factors may also vary by age. This study aimed to determine the association between common patient characteristics and mortality across age-groups among COVID-19 inpatients. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients discharged from hospitals in the Premier Healthcare Database between April – June 2020. Inpatients were identified using COVID-19 ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes. A priori-defined exposures were sex and present-on-admission hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and interactions between age and these comorbidities. Controlling for additional confounders, we evaluated relationships between these variables and in-hospital mortality in a log-binomial model. Results Among 66,646 (6.5%) admissions with a COVID-19 diagnosis, across 613 U.S. hospitals, 12,388 (18.6%) died in-hospital. In multivariable analysis, male sex was independently associated with 30% higher mortality risk (aRR, 1.30, 95% CI: 1.26 – 1.34). Diabetes without chronic complications was not a risk factor at any age (aRR 1.01, 95% CI: 0.96 – 1.06), and hypertension without chronic complications was only a risk factor in 20-39 year-olds (aRR, 1.68, 95% CI: 1.17 – 2.40). Diabetes with chronic complications, hypertension with chronic complications, and obesity were risk factors in most age-groups, with highest relative risks among 20-39 year-olds (respective aRRs 1.79, 2.33, 1.92; p-values ≤ 0.002). Conclusions Hospitalized men with COVID-19 are at increased risk of death across all ages. Hypertension, diabetes with chronic complications, and obesity demonstrated age-dependent effects, with the highest relative risks among adults aged 20-39.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 348-356
Author(s):  
Ke Deng ◽  
Xin Zhang ◽  
Ying Liu ◽  
Gai Ping Cheng ◽  
Hong Ping Zhang ◽  
...  

Background: Although studies have consistently linked obesity and asthma, the potential influence of visceral obesity on asthma has not been well investigated. Objective: To study the associations of visceral fat area (VFA) and clinical and inflammatory features of asthma and to further explore the effects of VFA on the future risk of asthma exacerbation. Methods: A 12-month prospective cohort study based on the Australasian Severe Asthma Network was designed to observe patients with stable asthma grouped by the median value of VFA. The clinical and inflammatory features of asthma were compared between the low VFA (VFAlow) and high VFA (VFAhigh) groups. Relationships between VFA and clinical and inflammatory features of asthma were analyzed by using correlation analysis. Univariate and multivariable negative binomial regression analyses were performed to investigate the association of VFA with exacerbations within a 12-month follow-up period. Results: The patients in the VFAhigh group were older and had a longer asthma duration. Interleukin (IL) 6 and IL-8 in sputum were higher, whereas fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and blood eosinophils were lower in the VFAhigh group. Gender-differentiated correlations of VFA with clinical and inflammatory variables were observed in age, FeNO, immunoglobulin E, blood total white cells and neutrophils, and sputum IL-1β and IL-8. Furthermore, compared with the VFAlow group, the VFAhigh group was at significantly increased risk of moderate-to-severe exacerbations (adjusted incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.55 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.06‐2.28; p = 0.025), severe exacerbations (adjusted IRR 2.25 [95% CI, 1.26‐4.04]; p = 0.007), and emergency visits (adjusted IRR 5.33 [95% CI, 1.78‐17.16]; p = 0.003). Conclusion: The level of VFA was associated with specific clinical and inflammatory characteristics of asthma. Furthermore, VFA, as an independent risk factor, was associated with an increased risk of exacerbations. It indicated that VFA would provide more potential clinical implications for asthma management.


Heart ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. heartjnl-2020-316880 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyuan Zhang ◽  
Shanjie Wang ◽  
Jinxin Liu ◽  
Yini Wang ◽  
Hengxuan Cai ◽  
...  

ObjectiveD-dimer might serve as a marker of thrombogenesis and a hypercoagulable state following plaque rupture. Few studies explore the association between baseline D-dimer levels and the incidence of heart failure (HF), all-cause mortality in an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) population. We aimed to explore this association.MethodsWe enrolled 4504 consecutive patients with AMI with complete data in a prospective cohort study and explored the association of plasma D-dimer levels on admission and the incidence of HF, all-cause mortality.ResultsOver a median follow-up of 1 year, 1112 (24.7%) patients developed in-hospital HF, 542 (16.7%) patients developed HF after hospitalisation and 233 (7.1%) patients died. After full adjustments for other relevant clinical covariates, patients with D-dimer values in quartile 3 (Q3) had 1.51 times (95% CI 1.12 to 2.04) and in Q4 had 1.49 times (95% CI 1.09 to 2.04) as high as the risk of HF after hospitalisation compared with patients in Q1. Patients with D-dimer values in Q4 had more than a twofold (HR 2.34; 95% CI 1.33 to 4.13) increased risk of death compared with patients in Q1 (p<0.001). But there was no association between D-dimer levels and in-hospital HF in the adjusted models.ConclusionsD-dimer was found to be associated with the incidence of HF after hospitalisation and all-cause mortality in patients with AMI.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-41
Author(s):  
Yueh-Che Hsieh ◽  
Po-Yang Tsou ◽  
Yu-Hsun Wang ◽  
Christin Chih-Ting Chao ◽  
Wan-Chien Lee ◽  
...  

Objectives: Predictors for post-sepsis myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke are yet to be identified due to the competing risk of death. Methods: This study included all hospitalized patients with sepsis from National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan between 2000 and 2011. The primary outcome was the first occurrence of MI and stroke requiring hospitalization within 180 days following hospital discharge from the index sepsis episode. The association between predictors and post-sepsis MI and stroke were analyzed using cumulative incidence competing risk model that controlled for the competing risk of death. Results: Among 42 316 patients with sepsis, 1012 (2.4%) patients developed MI and stroke within 180 days of hospital discharge. The leading 5 predictors for post-sepsis MI and stroke are prior cerebrovascular diseases (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.02, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.74-2.32), intra-abdominal infection (HR: 1.94, 95% CI: 1.71-2.20), previous MI (HR: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.53-2.15), lower respiratory tract infection (HR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.43-1.85), and septic encephalopathy (HR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.26-2.06). Conclusions: Baseline comorbidities and sources of infection were associated with an increased risk of post-sepsis MI and stroke. The identified risk factors may help physicians select a group of patients with sepsis who may benefit from preventive measures, antiplatelet treatment, and other preventive measures for post-sepsis MI and stroke.


2019 ◽  
Vol 105 (3) ◽  
pp. 282-287
Author(s):  
Amrita Bandyopadhyay ◽  
Karen Tingay ◽  
Ashley Akbari ◽  
Lucy Griffiths ◽  
Helen Bedford ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo evaluate long-term associations between early childhood hyperactivity and conduct problems (CP), measured using Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and risk of injury in early adolescence.DesignData linkage between a longitudinal birth cohort and routinely collected electronic health records.SettingConsenting Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) participants residing in Wales and Scotland.Patients3119 children who participated in the age 5 MCS interview.Main outcome measuresChildren with parent-reported SDQ scores were linked with hospital admission and Accident & Emergency (A&E) department records for injuries between ages 9 and 14 years. Negative binomial regression models adjusting for number of people in the household, lone parent, residential area, household poverty, maternal age and academic qualification, child sex, physical activity level and country of interview were fitted in the models.Results46% of children attended A&E or were admitted to hospital for injury, and 11% had high/abnormal scores for hyperactivity and CP. High/abnormal or borderline hyperactivity were not significantly associated with risk of injury, incidence rate ratio (IRR) with 95% CI of the high/abnormal and borderline were 0.92 (95% CI 0.74 to 1.14) and 1.16 (95% CI 0.88 to 1.52), respectively. Children with borderline CP had higher injury rates compared with those without CP (IRR 1.31, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.57).ConclusionsChildren with high/abnormal hyperactivity or CP scores were not at increased risk of injury; however, those with borderline CP had higher injury rates. Further research is needed to understand if those with difficulties receive treatment and support, which may reduce the likelihood of injuries.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 133-133
Author(s):  
N. Aghakhani

IntroductionAbout 65 percent of patients with myocardial infarction experience mental and emotional problems like depression and anxiety that causes delay in the return to work, decreased quality of life and increased risk of death.The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of education on anxiety and depression in patients with myocardial infarction in Urmia hospitals in 2009.MethodsThis study was a quasi-experimental study that compares the effect of education on anxiety and depression in patients with myocardial infarction in the Urmia University of medical science hospitals. 124 patients were selected randomly and divided into two groups. The experimental group was educated through face to face training and educational booklet. Control group did not receive any intervention.Level of anxiety and depression was evaluated by using HADS questionnaire at 3 intervals after 48 hours of admission, discharge day and 2 months after discharge.ResultsThere was no significant difference between control and experimental groups before the intervention, But after the intervention, anxiety and depression in the experimental group was significantly less than controls, p < 0.05.ConclusionConsidering the beneficial results obtained from education on reducing anxiety and depression in patients with myocardial infarction, it should be one of the health care goals.


2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine E Schofield ◽  
Andrew D Ryan ◽  
Craig Stroinski

ObjectiveStudent-inflicted injury to staff in the educational services sector is a growing concern. Studies on violence have focused on teachers as victims, but less is known about injuries to other employee groups, particularly educational assistants. Inequities may be present, as educational assistants and non-educators may not have the same wage, benefits, training and employment protections available to them as professional educators. We identified risk factors for student-related injury and their characteristics among employees in school districts.MethodsWorkers’ compensation data were used to identify incidence and severity of student-related injury. Rates were calculated using negative binomial regression; risk factors were identified using multivariate models to calculate rate ratios (RR) and 95% CIs.ResultsOver 26% of all injuries were student-related; 8% resulted in lost work time. Special and general education assistants experienced significantly increased risk of injury (RR=6.0, CI 5.05 to 7.15; RR=2.07, CI 1.40 to 3.07) as compared with educators. Risk differed by age, gender and school district type. Text analyses categorised student-related injury. It revealed injury from students acting out occurred most frequently (45.4%), whereas injuries involving play with students resulted in the highest percentage of lost-time injuries (17.7%) compared with all interaction categories.ConclusionStudent-inflicted injury to staff occurs frequently and can be severe. Special education and general assistants bear the largest burden of injury compared with educators. A variety of prevention techniques to reduce injury risk and severity, including policy or environmental modifications, may be appropriate. Equal access to risk reduction methods for all staff should be prioritised.


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