Finger blood flow (FBF) measurement among vibration-exposed groundskeepers: a pilot study in the southeastern USA.

OBJECTIVES

This study assessed finger blood flow (FBF) among groundskeepers using laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) and evaluated the association of the FBF with hand-arm vibration (HAV) exposure dose.

METHODS

Baseline FBF measured before a work shift (FBF) and daily changes in FBF before and after a work shift (ΔFBF) were measured among 17 groundskeepers and 10 office workers using LDF (PeriFlux 6000, Perimed, Järfälla, Sweden) for 3 days. Study participants' health-related information was obtained through questionnaires, while HAV exposure and demographic information were pulled from our previous study conducted in parallel with the present study. Linear mixed models were employed to estimate the association between HAV exposure dose and FBF.

RESULTS

The average FBF for right and left hands was 241.5 and 239.9 perfusion units (PUs), respectively, among the exposure group and 305.6 and 307.3 PU, respectively, among the reference group. The average ΔFBF for right and left hands was 44.2 and 25.4 PU, respectively, among the exposure group and -35.2 and -33.2 PU, respectively, among the reference group. A significant negative association between lifetime HAV exposure and FBF was observed in the linear mixed model after adjusting for age, body mass index, race/ethnicity and hypertension (right hand: β=-0.0006 and p=0.0055; left hand: β=-0.0009 and p=0.0068). Inconsistent significances were observed between lifetime HAV exposure and ΔFBF and between daily HAV exposure and ΔFBF.

CONCLUSIONS

A significant negative association between lifetime HAV exposure and baseline FBF among groundskeepers was observed, supporting FBF measurement using LDF as a promising health indicator for vascular disorders induced by HAV.