Incidence rates of surgically treated rhegmatogenous retinal detachment among manual workers, non-manual workers and housewives in Tuscany, Italy

Abstract

PurposeCandidate risk factors for idiopathic rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) include heavy manual handling (requiring Valsalva’s maneuver). We assessed incidence rates of surgically treated idiopathic RRD among manual workers, non-manual workers and housewives resident in Tuscany, Italy.MethodsWe retrieved all hospital discharge records bearing a principal diagnosis corresponding to RRD coupled with retinal surgery for any resident of Tuscany during 1997–2009. After elimination of repeated admissions and patients with coexistent, associated conditions (including recent trauma), subjects aged 25–59 years were classified as manual workers, non-manual workers or housewives. Population data were extracted from the 2001 census.ResultsWe identified 1,946 eligible cases (1,142 men). Among men, manual workers experienced a 1.8-fold higher age-standardized rate per 100,000 person-years than non-manual workers [17.4 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 16.1–18.7) vs. 9.8 (95 % CI 8.8–10.8)]. Age-standardized rates among women were 1.9-fold higher for manual workers [11.1 (95 % CI 9.8–12.3)] and 1.7-fold higher for housewives [9.5 (95 % CI 8.3–10.8)] than in non-manual workers [5.7 (95 % CI 4.8–6.6)].ConclusionsThis large population-based study suggests that manual workers are affected by idiopathic RRD requiring surgical treatment more often than non-manual workers. The higher rates of surgically treated RRD experienced by manual workers are in accord with the hypothesis that heavy manual handling may have a causal role.

Vascular risk factors and rhegmatogenous retinal detachment: a follow-up of a national cohort of Swedish men

“…Mattioli and colleagues also reported a six-fold increase in risk of RRD among subjects with a BMI≥25.5 kg/m 2 or more compared with those with a BMI between 21 and 23 kg/m 2 7. Our estimates are lower and we did not observe an increased hazard of RRD among overweight subjects.…”

Occupational lifting and rhegmatogenous retinal detachment: a follow-up study of Swedish conscripts

“…As a preliminary descriptive analysis, and for comparison with the previous Danish Cohort Study,8 we calculated the IRs of RRD by broad occupational class (manual and non-manual workers) (table 2). In crude analyses, manual workers (who presumably perform more heavy lifting) had lower rates of RRD than non-manual workers which contradicts our hypothesis but is consistent with the Danish study.…”

“…However, the Scottish Study analysed ecological data, did not include individual information on occupation (the only available data was the percentage of unemployed in the area) and crucially did not have information on myopia. An Italian register-based study of surgically treated RRD showed higher age SIRs among manual workers compared with non-manual workers 8. The authors hypothesised that occupational lifting might have contributed to explain the observed difference.…”

“…Their case-control study found that intense occupational lifting was more common among patients who had received surgery for RRD than a reference group of outpatients referred to an ophthalmological clinic. The same group of authors indirectly confirmed the association between lifting and RRD through a population study of hospital discharge records, which documented higher rates of RRD among Tuscan manual workers compared with non-manual workers 8. However, a recent population-based register study of Danish workers did not show any evidence of an association between RRD and being employed in jobs expected to entail a high frequency of heavy lifting 9.…”

Observed Differences between Males and Females in Surgically Treated Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Among Non-manual Workers: A Sensitivity Analysis of Findings from a Large Population Study

“…The study population and the data collection were described in detail elsewhere ( Mattioli et al , 2009b ; Curti et al , 2014 ). Briefly, information on 17988 surgically treated cases of CTS among residents of Tuscany occurring during 1997–2000 was collected from obligatory discharge records of all Italian public/private hospitals.…”