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Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

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  • Title: Neurosensory component of hand-arm vibration syndrome: a 22-year follow-up study.
    Author: Aarhus L, Veiersted KB, Nordby KC, Bast-Pettersen R.
    Journal: Occup Med (Lond); 2019 May 25; 69(3):215-218. PubMed ID: 30896020.
    Abstract:
    BACKGROUND: Knowledge about the long-term course of the neurologic component of hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) is scarce. AIMS: To study the course and prognostic factors of the neurosensory component of HAVS over a period of 22 years. METHODS: Forty male sheet metal workers, with a mean age of 60 (range 45-78) years at follow-up, were examined with a test battery in 1994 and 2017. At baseline, the sample comprised 27 workers with HAVS symptoms and 13 workers without HAVS symptoms. Among the 27 workers, 25 workers reported work-related hand-arm vibration during follow-up (mean 3639 h). In 2017, the mean time since vibration stopped was 8.4 years. RESULTS: Among the 27 workers with HAVS in 1994, no overall statistically significant change was observed in hand numbness (Stockholm Workshop Scale), shoulder/arm pain (pain scale) or finger pain from 1994 to 2017. However, vibration exposure during follow-up was associated with increased finger pain. Cotinine, carbohydrate-deficient transferrin, glycosylated haemoglobin and folate were not associated with changes in neurosensory symptoms or manual dexterity (Grooved Pegboard) from 1994 to 2017. A diagnosis of HAVS in 1994 did not predict poor hand strength 22 years later. Isolated hand numbness (without white finger attacks) was more common at baseline than at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This 22-year follow-up study indicates a tendency towards irreversibility of hand numbness and finger pain in workers with HAVS. Continued vibration exposure seems to predict increased finger pain. Our findings highlight the importance of HAVS prevention.
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