TY - JOUR AU - Hilt, Bjørn AU - Qvenild, Torgunn AU - Rømyhr, Olve PY - 2009/10/29 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - Morbidity from ischemic heart disease in workers at a stainless steel welding factory JF - Norsk Epidemiologi JA - Nor J Epidemiol VL - 9 IS - 1 SE - DO - 10.5324/nje.v9i1.438 UR - https://www.ntnu.no/ojs/index.php/norepid/article/view/438 SP - AB - <strong><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><span style="font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><p align="left"> </p></span></span><p align="left"><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;">ABSTRACT<strong><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><p align="left">Objectives:</p></span></span></strong></span><strong><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><p align="left"> </p></span></strong></span></p><p align="left"> </p><strong><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><p align="left">Methods:</p></span></span></strong></span><strong><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><p align="left"> </p></span></strong></span><p align="left"> </p><strong><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><p align="left">Results:</p></span></span></strong></span><strong><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><p align="left"> </p></span></strong></span><p align="left"> </p><strong><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><p align="left">Conclusion:</p></span></span></strong></span><strong><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><p align="left"> </p></span></strong></span><p align="left"> </p><strong><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><strong><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><p align="left">Key terms:</p></span></span></strong></span><strong><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPS-BoldMT;"><p align="left"> </p></span></strong></span><p align="left"> </p></strong><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;"><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">Angina pectoris, cardiovascular diseases, grinding, ischemic heart disease, metal workers,<p>myocardial infarction, stainless steel, welding</p></span></span></strong><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;"><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">In accord with some other studies, the results of the study support a hypothesis that there may<p align="left">be a relation between exposure factors to which stainless steel metal workers are exposed and an increased</p><p align="left">risk of ischemic heart disease.</p></span></span></strong><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;"><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">There were 236 men from the study group and 989 men from the control group who fulfilled the<p align="left">inclusion criteria, and who answered the questionnaires. The bivariate analysis showed that the study group</p><p align="left">had an increased age and smoking adjusted prevalence of "chest pain on exercise" and "angina pectoris"</p><p align="left">with ratios 2.3 (95% CI 1.5–4.9) and 2.6 (95% 1.2–5.7) respectively. When using multiple logistic regression</p><p align="left">analysis with control for potential confounding factors, the odds ratios for the study group as compared</p><p align="left">to the control group, were 2.6 (95% CI 1.3–5.3) for "chest pain on exercise", 2.5 (95% CI 1.1–5.8) for</p><p align="left">"angina pectoris", and 2.4 (95% CI 1.1–4.9) for myocardial infarction. The only explanatory variable which</p><p align="left">showed statistically significant increased odds ratios for all three outcome variables was work with grinding,</p><p align="left">with 2.4 (95% CI 1.0–5.5), 3.3 (1.3–8.5), and 2.5 (1.1–5.9) respectively.</p></span></span></strong><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;"><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">All the men who had worked at the plant for more than one year since 1960, and who were under<p align="left">the age of 70 years at the time of the study, were included in the study group. The control group was</p><p align="left">randomly selected from the male population of the same town, and was categorically matched for age. A self</p><p align="left">administered questionnaire was used to collect information on the occurrence of CVD and related symptoms,</p><p align="left">background variables, and exposure factors. The validity of the outcome variables for a subgroup of</p><p align="left">the participants was checked with their appointed general practitioners. This validation revealed a low sensitivity</p><p align="left">and a high specificity for the outcome variables “chest pain on exercise” and “angina pectoris”, while</p><p align="left">for “myocardial infarction” both the sensitivity and the specificity of the answers given were high.</p></span></span></strong><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;"><span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;">To investigate whether there was an increased morbidity from cardiovascular diseases (CVD)<p align="left">among welders and other workers at a stainless steel welding factory, and, if so, to see whether morbidity</p><p align="left">could be linked to specific exposure factors.</p></span></span> ER -