The vibroacoustic disease--an emerging pathology.

Vibroacoustic disease (VAD) is the clinical manifestation of a systemic disease that develops after long-term exposure to noise (> or = 10 yr) which is characterized by large pressure amplitude (> or = 90 dB SPL) within the lower frequency bands (< or = 500 Hz). Noisy environments produce more widespread systemic effects than initially suspected. This paper describes the chronology, population studied, and the statistical treatment used in our studies of VAD over the past 20 yr. We also describe the motivation that led to the evaluation and assessment of the exposed employees. Future research aims are also discussed.