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)
| 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) |
aTwo painters excluded due to debut of white fingers before age 18
bExcluding participants with diabetes, cardiovascular, thyroid or rheumatic disease, impaired perception of vibration in the foot, or peripheral nerve entrapment in upper extremity/neck (except for carpal tunnel syndrome)