Lofuta Olenga Vuvu Pierre, Klass Malgorzata, Pauwen Nathalie, Kipula Augustin, Bogerd Silvia Perez, Van Muylem Alain, Van de Borne Philippe, Deboeck Gael
Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Unit, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, University Clinics, Faculty of Medicine University of Kinshasa Democratic Republic of Congo.
Research Unit in Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Human Movement Sciences Université Libre de Bruxelles Brussels Belgium.
J Am Heart Assoc. 2025 May 20;14(10):e038747. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.124.038747. Epub 2025 May 13.
Occupational biomass pollutant exposure as observed in charcoal workers may have significant cardiovascular effects. This study aims to ascertain the prevalence and risk factors of hypertension and high pulse pressure (HPP), a marker of arterial stiffness, in charcoal workers compared with a control group of agricultural workers from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The charcoal worker and agricultural worker groups (n=485; median age, 35-40 years) were composed of male charcoal producers (n=229), charcoal saleswomen (n=72), male farmers (n=118), and vegetable saleswomen (n=66). We assessed workplace air pollution, sociodemographic parameters, self-reported physical activity, body composition, exhaled air carbon monoxide, and blood pressure. Hypertension and HPP prevalences were determined. Logistic regression, adjusted for confounding variables was used to identify the risk factors. Charcoal workplaces were more polluted than agricultural workplaces (<0.01). Charcoal producers performed higher levels of physical activity (=0.018) and demonstrated higher levels of exhaled air carbon monoxide (<0.0001) and pulse pressure (=0.006), and higher prevalence of grade 1 hypertension (=0.007), isolated systolic hypertension (=0.04), and HPP (=0.02) than farmers. Overall, hypertension (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 11.76 [95% CI, 6.26-22.13]), level of particulate matter <10 μm pollutants (aOR, 1.001 [95% CI, 1.0002-1.0017]), smoking (aOR, 2.21 [95% CI, 1.15-4.24]) and low education (aOR, 2.14 [95% CI, 1.10-4.17]) were independently associated with HPP. The level of particulate matter <1.0 μm pollutants (aOR, 1.0009 [95% CI, 1.0002-1.0015]), male sex (aOR, 2.09 [95% CI, 1.21-3.64]), and job seniority (aOR, 1.022 [95% CI, 1.004-1.044]) were independently associated with isolated systolic hypertension.
Charcoal producers appear to develop isolated systolic hypertension and HPP more, both indices of cardiovascular events in which occupational biomass particles seem to play an early significant role.
正如在木炭工人中所观察到的，职业性生物质污染物暴露可能对心血管产生重大影响。本研究旨在确定与刚果民主共和国农业工人对照组相比，木炭工人中高血压和高脉压（HPP，动脉僵硬度的一个指标）的患病率及危险因素。
木炭工人组和农业工人组（n = 485；年龄中位数为35 - 40岁）由男性木炭生产者（n = 229）、女性木炭销售员（n = 72）、男性农民（n = 118）和女性蔬菜销售员（n = 66）组成。我们评估了工作场所空气污染、社会人口统计学参数、自我报告的身体活动、身体成分、呼出气体一氧化碳含量和血压。确定了高血压和HPP的患病率。使用经混杂变量调整的逻辑回归来识别危险因素。木炭工作场所的污染程度高于农业工作场所（P < 0.01）。木炭生产者的身体活动水平更高（P = 0.018），呼出气体一氧化碳含量更高（P < 0.0001），脉压更高（P = 0.006），1级高血压患病率更高（P = 0.007），单纯收缩期高血压患病率更高（P = 0.04），HPP患病率更高（P = 0.02）。总体而言，高血压（调整后的优势比[aOR]，11.76 [95%置信区间，6.26 - 22.13]）、<10μm颗粒物污染物水平（aOR，1.001 [95%置信区间，1.0002 - 1.0017]）、吸烟（aOR，2.21 [95%置信区间，1.15 - 4.24]）和低教育水平（aOR，2.14 [95%置信区间，1.10 - 4.17]）与HPP独立相关。<1.0μm颗粒物污染物水平（aOR, 1.0009 [95%置信区间，1.0002 - 1.0015]）、男性（aOR，2.09 [95%置信区间，1.21 - 3.64]）和工作年限（aOR，1.022 [95%置信区间，1.004 - 1.044]）与单纯收缩期高血压独立相关。
木炭生产者似乎更易患单纯收缩期高血压和HPP，这两个心血管事件指标中职业性生物质颗粒似乎起着早期重要作用。
