Investigation on the serum homocysteine and blood-lipid in workers exposed to noise / 中国职业医学

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of occupational noise exposure on the levels of serum homocysteine( Hcy)and blood lipid in workers. METHODS: By cluster sampling method,247 workers from 3 noisy operational factories in Shandong Province were selected as exposure group,and 198 non-noise exposed workers from the same factories were chosen as the control group. The levels of Hcy,triglyceride( TG),total cholesterol( TC),high-density lipoprotein( HDL) and low-density lipoprotein( LDL) were examined using enzymatic cycling assay. The influence factors of high Hcy levels in workers were analyzed by multiple Logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The over standard rate of 8-hour equivalent sound level in workplaces of the 3 factories was 44. 4%-50. 0%. The levels of Hcy in male and female workers of exposure group were higher than those of the same gender workers in the control group( P < 0. 01). The levels of HDL in female workers of exposure group were lower than those of the female workers in control group( P < 0. 05). There was no statistical significances in the levels of TG,TC and LDL in the control group and exposure group( P > 0. 05). The detection rate of high Hcy in exposure group was higher than that of the control group( 91. 50% vs 56. 57%,P < 0. 01).Noise exposure and gender were the independent influence factors causing high Hcy levels in workers( P < 0. 05). The odds ratio( OR) of high Hcy in noise exposure workers was 2. 78 times of that of those non-exposed workers. The OR of high Hcy in male exposed workers was 6. 21 times of that of female workers. CONCLUSION: Occupational noise exposure could lead to the increasd Hcy levels in workers.