Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40924086›Full record

ArticleInternational archives of occupational and environmental health2025

The role of personal risk factors in the occurrence of the hand-arm vibration syndrome: a pooled analysis of individual data from Italian cross-sectional and cohort studies.

Massimo Bovenzi, Federico Ronchese, Francesca Larese Filon, Enrico Marchetti, Angelo Tirabasso, Carlotta Massotti, Marco Tarabini

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Article in International archives of occupational and environmental health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Massimo BovenziClinical Unit of Occupational Medicine, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Trieste, U.C.O. di Medicina del Lavoro, Via Della Pietà 2/2, 34129, Trieste, Italy. bovenzi@units.it.ORCID 0000-0002-6001-5218
Federico RoncheseClinical Unit of Occupational Medicine, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Trieste, U.C.O. di Medicina del Lavoro, Via Della Pietà 2/2, 34129, Trieste, Italy.
Francesca Larese FilonClinical Unit of Occupational Medicine, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Trieste, U.C.O. di Medicina del Lavoro, Via Della Pietà 2/2, 34129, Trieste, Italy.
Enrico MarchettiDepartment of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, National Institute for Insurance Against Accidents at Work (INAIL), Monte Porzio Catone, Rome, Italy.
Angelo TirabassoDepartment of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, National Institute for Insurance Against Accidents at Work (INAIL), Monte Porzio Catone, Rome, Italy.
Carlotta MassottiDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy.
Marco TarabiniDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo investigate the role of personal risk factors in the occurrence of the vascular, neurological and fibroproliferative disorders of the hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) in workers groups exposed to hand-transmitted vibration (HTV).

methodsHAVS prevalence and incidence data were pooled across a series of cross-sectional studies (total sample: 1272 HTV workers, 579 controls) and prospective cohort studies (total sample: 377 HTV workers, 138 controls) conducted in Central and North-Eastern Italy. The pooled studies included detailed individual-level information about HTV exposure, personal risk factors, medical comorbidities and HAVS disorders. Vibration exposures were evaluated according to the recommendations of ISO standards.

resultsThe pooled studies revealed dose-response relationships between HTV exposure and the vascular and neurological components of HAVS. Older age, excessive alcohol intake, and comorbid conditions such as metabolic disorders, traumas/surgery to the neck and upper limbs, and disorders of the cervical spine were differentially associated with HAVS outcomes. Higher BMI had a protective effect on vascular disorders. Data modelling showed no significant interactions between HTV exposure and personal risk factors in the occurrence of upper limb disorders.

conclusionsThe pooled analysis of epidemiological studies with individualised work, personal, and medical data confirmed that HTV exposure is a primary occupational risk factor for disorders in the fingers and hands of users of vibratory tools. Ageing and some personal factors connected to lifestyles and comorbidities were associated with an increased risk for upper limb disorders in HTV workers. Occupational and personal risk factors tended to contribute independently of each other to adverse outcomes in operators of hand-held vibrating machinery.

Indexed as

Hand-Arm Vibration SyndromeOccupational DiseasesOccupational ExposureVibrationAdultCohort StudiesCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansIncidenceItalyMaleMiddle AgedPrevalenceProspective StudiesRisk FactorsExposure–response relationshipHand-arm vibration syndromeHand-transmitted vibrationPersonal risk factorsPooled epidemiological studiesUpper limb disorders

Identifiers

PMID40924086
PMCPMC12494641

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