Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, 901 87, Umeå, Sweden.
Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital of Umeå, 901 85, Umeå, Sweden.
Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2017 Oct;90(7):587-595. doi: 10.1007/s00420-017-1221-3. Epub 2017 Apr 11.
To describe the self-reported ambient cold exposure in northern Sweden and to relate the level of cumulative cold exposure to the occurrence of sensory and vascular hand symptoms. We hypothesize that cold exposure is positively related to reporting such symptoms.
A questionnaire about cold exposure and related symptoms was sent out to 35,144 subjects aged 18-70 years and living in northern Sweden.
A total of 12,627 out of 35,144 subjects returned the questionnaire (response rate 35.9%). Subjects living in the rural alpine areas reported more extensive cold exposure both during work and leisure time compared to the urbanized coastal regions. Frostbite in the hands was present in 11.4% of men and 7.1% of women, cold sensitivity was present in 9.7 and 14.4%, and Raynaud's phenomenon was present in 11.0% of men and 14.0% of women. There was a positive association between cumulative cold exposure and neurovascular hand symptoms.
The present study demonstrates that the cold environment in northern Sweden might be an underestimated health risk. Our hypothesis that cold exposure is positively related to reporting of neurovascular hand symptoms was supported by our findings. In addition, such symptoms were common not only in conjunction with an overt cold injury. Our results warrant further study on pathophysiological mechanisms and suggest the need for confirmatory prevalence studies to support national public health planning.
描述瑞典北部的自我报告环境寒冷暴露情况，并将累积寒冷暴露水平与感觉和血管手部症状的发生联系起来。我们假设寒冷暴露与报告这些症状呈正相关。
向居住在瑞典北部的 35144 名年龄在 18-70 岁的受试者发送了一份关于寒冷暴露和相关症状的问卷。
共有 35144 名受试者中的 12627 名（应答率为 35.9%）返回了问卷。与城市化沿海地区相比，居住在农村高山地区的受试者在工作和休闲时间报告的寒冷暴露更为广泛。手部冻伤的男性占 11.4%，女性占 7.1%，冷敏性的男性占 9.7%，女性占 14.4%，雷诺现象的男性占 11.0%，女性占 14.0%。累积寒冷暴露与手部神经血管症状之间存在正相关关系。
本研究表明，瑞典北部的寒冷环境可能是一个被低估的健康风险。我们的假设即寒冷暴露与报告神经血管手部症状呈正相关，得到了我们研究结果的支持。此外，这些症状不仅与明显的寒冷损伤有关，而且很常见。我们的研究结果需要进一步研究其病理生理机制，并建议进行证实性流行率研究，以支持国家公共卫生规划。
