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Hernia: Is it a work‐related condition?
Author(s) -
Kang SeongKyu,
Burnett Carol A.,
Freund Eugene,
Sestito John
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0274(199912)36:6<638::aid-ajim6>3.0.co;2-w
Subject(s) - medicine , confidence interval , incidence (geometry) , hernia , occupational medicine , demography , relative risk , population , inguinal hernia , rate ratio , cross sectional study , surgery , occupational exposure , environmental health , pathology , physics , sociology , optics
Background Development of hernias among active workers is a major occupational problem, however, the work‐relatedness of hernias has not been well investigated. It is a difficult question for occupational and primary care physicians who must often address whether a worker with an inguinal hernia should be restricted from work requiring lifting of heavy objects. Methods To evaluate the possible work‐relatedness of inguinal hernias, a cross‐sectional study was performed. The goal of the study was to determine hernia incidence according to occupation with the Annual Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 1994. Hernia incidence rates (per 10,000 workers) for industry and occupation categories were calculated with the estimates of the number of hernias in males and the employed male workers from the Current Population Survey. Rate ratios (RR) of hernia incidence rates were calculated. Results In 1994, an estimated 30, 791 work‐related hernias in males were reported by US private establishments. The occupation groups with the highest RR were laborers and handlers (RR, 2.47; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.14–2.80), machine operators (RR, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.81–2.44), and mechanics and repairers (RR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.43–2.00). Conclusions Rate ratios for hernias vary considerably within industries and occupations, with the highest ratios found in industries and occupations involving manual labor. This provides support for the hypothesis that the hernias are work‐related, especially in work involving strenuous, heavy manual labor. Am. J. Ind. Med. 36:638–644, 1999. Published 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.