| Abstract [eng] |
The object of the work: to investigate the incidence, structure and trends of occupational diseases in Lithuania in 1981-1986. The task of the work: to investigate the structure and trends of occupational diseases, to evaluate the distribution according to the economic activity spheres, occupations, sex, length of service, harmful work factor, form and type of occupational diseases. The methodology of the investigation: the 1981-1986 accounts of the Sanitary Epidemic Board of the Ministry of Public Health Care have been used in this work. In these accounts, 844 cases of occupational diseases have been registered. The analysis of the data has been performed using International Classification of Diseases (ICD - 10), classifiers of the Economic activities (NACE) and Occupations (ISCO), as well as data about employed persons from the Lithuanian Statistics Department. The statistical analysis of the data has been performed using WinPepi computer program. The reliability of the difference between the groups is estimated by χ2 test, the statistic conclusions are formed when p<0,05. The results: the results of the investigation show that within 1981-1986 the most frequent disease was the vibration disease (36,37 %), ear diseases have made up 23,1%, cutaneous and subcutaneous diseases have made up 12,68 % of the total occupational sickness rate. There have been registered 619 (73,3%) of occupational disease cases for men and 225 (26,7 %) cases for women. The index of occupational sickness rate in 1981-1986 was 9,18 cases out of 100 000 working people. Vibration diseases have been diagnosed for 0,65 % of workers having 0-9 length of service, and there were 4,76 % of hearing nerve neuritis cases; for those of 10-19 years of service, 21,17% and 39,46% respectively, for those of 20-29 years of service, 52,77% and 47,62%, for those of 30 years of service and over, 25,41% and 8,16%. 44,55% of occupational sickness rate has been registered for agricultural and forestry workers, 31,4% of manufacturing industry, 9,36% of construction, 4,38% of fishing industry of the total occupational sickness. 48,58% have been diagnosed for drivers and movable equipment operators , 16,94% have been diagnosed for handicraftsmen and workers of similar professions, 13,27% for workers of metal processing enterprises, 4,86% for the specialists of health care, 4,62% of all of the occupational diseases for production and construction workers. 61,14% of occupational diseases were caused by physical factors, 19,31% by chemical, 7,94% by tension, 5,92% by biological factors, and 5,69% by dust. Acute illnesses have made up 10,07% and chronic diseases have made up 89,93% of occupational diseases. Intoxication has made up 5,57% of all the occupational diseases, out of which 72,34% were acute intoxication. Conclusions: 1. In 1981-1986 the most frequent occupational diseases were vibration disease and the hearing nerve neuritis. 2. Men were ill with professional diseases more often than women. 3. The sickness rate of vibration diseases and the hearing nerve neuritis has been more often diagnosed for workers having more than 20 years of service. 4. The highest sickness rate has been registered for agricultural, forestry and processing production workers. 5. Occupational diseases were more often diagnosed for drivers and movable equipment operators, craftsmen and workers of similar professions, for workers of metal processing enterprises. 6. The most frequent cause of occupational diseases were physical and chemical factors. 7. Chronical occupational diseases and acute intoxication are more often diagnosed for workers. |
