Palmer Keith T, D'Angelo Stefania, Harris E Clare, Linaker Cathy, Coggon David
MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK.
Occup Environ Med. 2015 Mar;72(3):195-9. doi: 10.1136/oemed-2014-102422. Epub 2014 Dec 18.
Sensory impairments are becoming increasingly common in the workforces of Western countries. To assess their role in occupational injury, and that of disorders of balance, we undertook a case-control study.
Using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, which documents all medical consultations, referrals and diagnoses in primary care for 6% of the British population, we identified 1348 working-aged patients who had consulted medical services over a 22-year period for workplace injury (cases) and 6652 age-matched, sex-matched and practice-matched controls. Risks were assessed by conditional logistic regression, for earlier recorded diagnoses of visual impairment, common eye diseases, hearing loss, perforated ear drum, non-acute otitis media and disorders of balance.
In all, 173 (2.2%) participants had an earlier eye problem, 792 (9.9%) an ear problem (including 336 with impaired hearing and 482 with non-acute otitis media) and 266 (3.3%) a disorder of balance. No associations were found with glaucoma, cataract, retinal disorders or perforation of the ear drum specifically, but adjusted ORs were moderately elevated for eye and ear problems more generally, and higher where there was a record of blindness or partial sight (OR 1.90, 95% CI 1.05 to 3.44) or non-acute otitis media (OR 2.04, 95% CI 1.64 to 2.54). Risks for non-acute otitis media and for disorders of balance were particularly elevated for consultations in the 12 months preceding injury consultation (OR 2.70, 95% CI 1.58 to 4.62 and 1.77, 95% CI 1.01 to 3.11, respectively).
Problems of vision, impairments of hearing and disorders of balance all may carry moderately increased risks of occupational injury.
感觉障碍在西方国家劳动力中日益普遍。为评估其在职业伤害以及平衡障碍中的作用，我们开展了一项病例对照研究。
利用临床实践研究数据链，该数据链记录了英国6%人口在初级保健中的所有医疗咨询、转诊和诊断情况，我们确定了1348名工作年龄的患者，他们在22年期间因工作场所受伤而咨询过医疗服务（病例组），以及6652名年龄、性别和医疗机构匹配的对照组。通过条件逻辑回归评估早期记录的视力障碍、常见眼病、听力损失、鼓膜穿孔、非急性中耳炎和平衡障碍的风险。
共有173名（2.2%）参与者曾有过早期眼部问题，792名（9.9%）有耳部问题（包括336名听力受损和482名非急性中耳炎患者），266名（3.3%）有平衡障碍。未发现与青光眼、白内障、视网膜疾病或鼓膜穿孔有特定关联，但总体而言，眼部和耳部问题的校正比值比适度升高，在有失明或视力部分丧失记录（比值比1.90，95%置信区间1.05至3.44）或非急性中耳炎记录（比值比2.04，95%置信区间1.64至2.54）的情况下更高。在受伤咨询前12个月的咨询中，非急性中耳炎和平衡障碍的风险尤其升高（分别为比值比2.70，95%置信区间1.58至4.62和1.77，95%置信区间1.01至3.11）。
视力问题、听力障碍和平衡障碍都可能使职业伤害风险适度增加。
