Comparative assessment of the state of main arteries in workers of the pivotal occupations in the coal and aluminum industries

Introduction. To prevent cardiovascular accidents and preserve the employability in workers in the pivotal occupations of the coal and aluminum industries it is required timely identification of risk groups for long-term asymptomatic damage to the atherosclerotic process of the arteries. Material and methods. The study included two hundred twenty two miners and 109 workers in the aluminum industry aged of 40–55 years (average age of miners – 47.1 ± 0.36 years, metallurgists – 47.64 ± 0.43 years, р = 0.367). All subjects underwent ultrasound investigation of the carotid and femoral arteries. Also anamnestic, anthropometric data, the presence of arterial hypertension, indices of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism were evaluated. Results. Miners were more often diagnosed with intimal thickening (41.9% vs. 27.5%, p = 0.011), in contrast to aluminum production workers, who were significantly more likely to have atherosclerotic plaques (57.8% vs. 43.2%, p = 0.0127). The frequency of generally accepted risk factors for atherosclerosis in both occupational cohorts (arterial hypertension, smoking, carbohydrate metabolism disorders, physical inactivity, obesity) was detected without significant differences. Miners with atherosclerosis were diagnosed with significantly higher average values of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, metallurgists with atherosclerosis showed hypertriglyceridemia. Limitations. The study was limited by the number of the examined persons undergoing periodic medical examination at the Research Institute for Complex Problems of Hygiene and Occupational Diseases. Conclusion. A more significant lesion of the main arteries in the form of atherosclerotic plaques with varying degrees of stenosis was found in aluminum production workers compared to miners, which was probably due to the more aggressive influence of harmful production factors in metallurgists. In this regard, it is recommended to conduct a screening ultrasound investigation of the main arteries at a periodic medical examination, which will identify a risk group for the timely prevention of cardiovascular complications.