Assessment of Disease Severity and Comorbidity Status in Patients with Occupational Polyneuropathy of Upper Extremities

Introduction: Occupational polyneuropathy of upper extremities induced by physical overload is often registered among workers of various occupations. Yet, modern science lacks up-to-date results of a comprehensive assessment of the condition of such patients in terms of occupational disease severity and the presence of concomitant non-occupational diseases.

Objective: To establish severity of the occupational disease and comorbidity status in workers of various occupations, to assess their significance for planning measures aimed at professional rehabilitation of patients.

Materials and methods: Severity of occupational polyneuropathy and comorbidity status were established in agricultural, construction, industrial, and mining workers.

Results: In all cohorts of workers, occupational polyneuropathy is generally registered in middle-aged and elderly people usually experiencing moderate symptoms; in most cases, it is combined with other occupational diseases of the musculoskeletal system and the peripheral nervous system. Miners suffering from this type of polyneuropathy are often diagnosed with chronic industrial bronchitis. Of non-occupational disorders, ischemic heart disease, hypertension, dorsopathies, and osteoarthritis of various sites prevail in all occupational cohorts and limit the ability of patients to work.

Discussion: The severity of polyneuropathy and comorbidity status of patients from different occupational cohorts vary and this fact shall be taken into account when planning medical and professional rehabilitation of workers, which is usually hampered due to imperfection of the current regulations on examining professional suitability, according to which occupational peripheral neuropathy cases shall not stop working in conditions of physical overload.

Conclusions: It is critical to attend to the flaws of current regulations, which impede effective rehabilitation of patients with occupational polyneuropathy and other associated diseases.

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