A Study of the Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome in Okinawa, a Subtropical Area of Japan.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to understand the peculiarity of the development of HandArm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) in a subtropical area of Japan. We analyzed the medical records of 21 subjects reported by the Okinawa Labor Bureau, and tried to determine whether the warm environment has any effect on the severity of HAVS. The mean operating time of vibration tools for all the subjects was over 10,000 hrs. Almost all the subjects from Okinawa had been working only in Okinawa. The presence of Vibration Induced White Fingers (VWF) was markedly smaller in the subjects from Okinawa as compared to those from other prefectures. The results of Cold Water Immersion Tests were similar for all subjects. Ten minutes after the Cold Water Immersion Test, the mean finger skin temperature was about 19°C in all subjects. These findings suggest that not only the operating time of vibration tools but also the warm environment might have an effect on the severity of HAVS. However, the number of subjects in our study was very small. There is the need therefore for further investigations with a larger number of subjects.

The Characteristics of Vibrotactile Perception Threshold among Shipyard Workers in a Tropical Environment

“…There is a huge gap between this study and both previous studies in terms of job duration. This finding is similar with that reported in Vietnam, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, which concluded that factors of climate (more than 25°C), young workers and shorter work experience play important roles in reducing the vibrating effect 12,13,[23][24][25] . The final factors in this study was the climate condition 12,13,[23][24][25] .…”

“…(62%), Lindsell 22) (98%). However, the prevalence of HAVS in this study was still high compared to the prevalence of the normal population 12,13,[23][24][25] . The prevalence of tingling or numbness in fingers among an unexposed male population is 11.9% 26) .…”

“…Although there have been many previous studies 1,3,[10][11][12][13] on the effect of HAVS in European countries and temperate countries concerning the relationship between the vibrating handheld tool usage and hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) among various occupations, few studies have been done among those working in a hot and humid environment and the conclusion may be limited to temperate and cold environments. Therefore, research should also emphasize the characteristics of HAVS, prevalence of HAVS and VPT level among those working in a tropical climate.…”

White fingers, cold environment, and vibration – exposure among Swedish construction workers

“…The results of our study support the hypothesis that low outdoor temperatures increase the prevalence of selfreported WF among workers exposed to HAV, which is in agreement with earlier studies (1,(3)(4)(5). The average annual temperature was about 0º C in the northern region compared to 8º C in the southern region during the actual time period (9).…”

“…Studies of HAV-exposed workers in tropical or subtropical areas have shown no, or very small prevalence of WF (2)(3)(4) leading the authors to conclude that the absence of symptoms could be due to the warm climate. A study carried by Yu et al (5) is the only one, as far as we know, where workers in both cold and warm climate have been studied on the same occasion.…”