Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
Am J Ind Med. 2012 Feb;55(2):127-35. doi: 10.1002/ajim.21995. Epub 2011 Dec 7.
The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) among dairy workers.
Sixty-six dairy parlor workers and 58 non-parlor workers at dairies in Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado participated in structured interviews regarding demographics, work history, and hand symptoms. All participants had nerve conduction studies performed on both hands across the carpal tunnel. A CTS case definition was based on the presence of characteristic CTS symptoms and an abnormal median mononeuropathy across the carpal tunnel.
The prevalence of CTS among the dairy parlor workers was 16.6% and 3.6% among non-parlor workers. The difference was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05) with an odds ratio of 5.3, CI (1.1-25.5).
The results of this study indicate that CTS is a significant challenge for dairy parlor workers. The prevalence of CTS was found to be significantly higher among dairy workers performing tasks in the milking parlor as opposed to workers performing tasks in other areas of the dairy farm. The results emphasize the need for administrative and engineering controls to limit the exposure to physical risk factors that are associated with upper limb disorders such as CTS.
本研究旨在确定奶牛场工人中腕管综合征（CTS）的患病率。
得克萨斯州、新墨西哥州和科罗拉多州的奶牛场的 66 名奶牛场工人和 58 名非奶牛场工人参加了有关人口统计学、工作史和手部症状的结构化访谈。所有参与者均在手部腕管处进行了正中神经传导研究。CTS 病例定义基于典型 CTS 症状和腕管处正中神经单神经病异常。
奶牛场工人中 CTS 的患病率为 16.6%，非奶牛场工人为 3.6%。差异具有统计学意义（P<0.05），优势比为 5.3，CI（1.1-25.5）。
本研究结果表明 CTS 是奶牛场工人面临的重大挑战。在挤奶厅从事工作的奶牛场工人中 CTS 的患病率明显高于在奶牛场其他区域从事工作的工人。结果强调需要采取管理和工程控制措施，以限制与上肢疾病（如 CTS）相关的物理危险因素的暴露。
