Occupation and cardiovascular disease - Review and case discussions
Journal
Journal of Internal Medicine of Taiwan
Journal Volume
12
Journal Issue
2
Pages
47-53
Date Issued
2001
Author(s)
Abstract
The rapid industrialization plays an important role in the economic development of Taiwan during past forty years. It is true that environmental and occupational disease frequently accompanied the industrial development, but was often neglected. The clinical presentations of occupational heart disease include cardiac arrhythmia, coronary heart disease (CHD), atherosclerosis and sudden death. Physical and chemical agents, which include carbon disulfide, nitroglycerine, ethylene glycol dinitrate, carbon monoxide, halogenated hydrocarbons, passive smoking, and some heavy metals (lead, cobalt, arsenic, etc.), physical inactivity, noise, excessive heat, and excessive cold have been reported to be associated with occupational diseases. Stress and shift work are recently reported psychosocial factors to be related to cardiovascular diseases. As hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, smoking, aged, obese, and family history of premature CHD are recognized as the major risk factors of CHD. It is usually difficult to clarify the causal relationship of occupational exposure and development of CHD. However, we can still prevent the occurence of occupational cardiovascular disease through better understanding of the pathophysiology and proactively improve the work environment. The definition of stress and its role in the workmen compensation of occupationally related myocardial infarction and/or stroke should be periodically reviewed to accord with ethic principle of justice.
Other Subjects
arsenic; carbon disulfide; carbon monoxide; chemical agent; cobalt; ethylene glycol derivative; ethylene glycol dinitrate; glyceryl trinitrate; halogenated hydrocarbon; heavy metal; lead; unclassified drug; aged; article; atherosclerosis; cardiovascular disease; cold; congestive cardiomyopathy; controlled study; diabetes mellitus; economic development; environment; ethics; family history; heart arrhythmia; heart infarction; heat; human; hypercholesterolemia; hypertension; immobilization; industrialization; ischemic heart disease; justice; noise; obesity; occupation; occupational disease; passive smoking; pathophysiology; prophylaxis; risk factor; shift worker; smoking; social psychology; stress; stroke; sudden death; Taiwan; work environment
Type
journal article