Low back pain among taxi drivers: a cross-sectional study

Wang, M; Yu, J; Liu, N; Liu, Z; Wei, Xiaomin; Yan, Fei; Sung, Yunsick

doi:10.1093/occmed/kqx041

Cited by 34 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Exposure to toluene and xylene may cause neuropsychological symptoms including fatigue, headache, sleepiness, insomnia, depression, anxiety, difficulty in concentrating or memorizing, drunken feelings, and other cognitive disorders [8]. Around the world and in Egypt, some studies focused their work on the health disorders among fuel supply stations' workers [9, 10] and others studied the health status among taxi drivers [11–13], but in Egypt, there is paucity of research studies done on this field, so this work was performed to study exposure to benzene in taxi drivers from rural and urban areas and study the hematological effects of benzene exposure.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental and Health Effects of Benzene Exposure among Egyptian Taxi Drivers

Kasemy

Kamel

Rasoul

et al. 2019

Journal of Environmental and Public Health

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Objectives To study environmental exposure to benzene as well as hematological effects of benzene exposure in taxi drivers. Background Exposure to benzene has been associated with adverse health effects, including haematopoietic disorders. Methods A retrospective cohort study was carried out from the beginning of April 2017, through the end of June 2018, on 280 taxi drivers (the exposed group) and 120 unexposed matched individuals (controls). The tools included a predesigned self-administered questionnaire which contained questions about personal data (e.g., age, educational level, and smoking) and exposure data (e.g., duration and nature of exposure). Investigations involved complete blood count. Environmental studies for light-chain aromatic hydrocarbons (BTEX components: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene) were done. Results Mean values (ppm) of ambient concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (0.81 ± 0.42, 26.69 ± 0.54, 29.36 ± 2.35, and 25.11 ± 2.06, respectively) in the stations were higher than international permissible levels (P < 0.001). On studying the clinical manifestations during the last two weeks, the prevalence of pallor, dizziness, headache, waist and back pain, fatigue, dry throat, and discomfort was significantly higher in taxi drivers (27.1%, 24.3%, 21.4%, 28.6%, 45.7%, 24.3%, and 25.7%, respectively) than among the controls (6.7%, 4.2%, 6.7%, 10%, 10%, 6.7%, 6.7%, and 9.2%, respectively). For chronic diseases, hypertension was the most prevalent chronic disease among the drivers (17.1%) than the controls (5.8%) (P=0.002). Regarding self-assessment of health status, 20.0% of taxi drivers reported poor health while 31.4% reported very good health (P < 0.001). MCH (pg), TLC (×103/μl), and platelets (×103/μl) were significantly lower among taxi drivers (26.33 ± 2.31, 6.55 ± 1.38, and 189.07 ± 53.25, respectively) (P=0.005, <0.001, and <0.001 respectively). Conclusion Abnormal hematological findings among taxi drivers were found on exposure to benzene. Health of taxi drivers is generally affected. Setting a clinic for periodic checkup and health education for taxi drivers is highly recommended.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental and Health Effects of Benzene Exposure among Egyptian Taxi Drivers

Kasemy

Kamel

Rasoul

et al. 2019

Journal of Environmental and Public Health

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“…Other causes associated with an increased risk of LBP, include infections, autoimmune diseases, orthopedic diseases or tumours [ 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]. LBP results also from occupational ergonomic factors related to heavy physical work, repetitive actions due to occupational requirements [ 1 , 2 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 ]; as well as sports activities or sports-related injuries [ 40 , 41 ]; sedentary lifestyle, prolonged sitting or inactivity and lack of exercises [ 42 , 43 , 44 ]; post operation or surgery-induced [ 45 , 46 ]; secondary from other medical conditions [ 47 , 48 , 49 ]; lifestyle factors [ 50 ]; poor trunk control and postural impairment [ 51 ]; psychosocial and behavior-related factors from smoking, alcohol abuse, obesity, depression and stress [ 1 , 6 , 14 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 ]; socio-economic factors [ 58 ]; and ageing [ 59 , 60 ]. However, it is often difficult to identify the origin of LBP [ 1 , 5 , 6 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 ,…”

Section: Causes and Risk Factors Of Lower Back Painmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acupuncture and Neural Mechanism in the Management of Low Back Pain—An Update

et al. 2018

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Within the last 10 years, the percentage of low back pain (LBP) prevalence increased by 18%. The management and high cost of LBP put a tremendous burden on the healthcare system. Many risk factors have been identified, such as lifestyle, trauma, degeneration, postural impairment, and occupational related factors; however, as high as 95% of the cases of LBP are non-specific. Currently, LBP is treated pharmacologically. Approximately 25 to 30% of the patients develop serious side effects, such as drowsiness and drug addiction. Spinal surgery often does not result in a massive improvement of pain relief. Therefore, complementary approaches are being integrated into the rehabilitation programs. These include chiropractic therapy, physiotherapy, massage, exercise, herbal medicine and acupuncture. Acupuncture for LBP is one of the most commonly used non-pharmacological pain-relieving techniques. This is due to its low adverse effects and cost-effectiveness. Currently, many randomized controlled trials and clinical research studies have produced promising results. In this article, the causes and incidence of LBP on global health care are reviewed. The importance of treatment by acupuncture is considered. The efforts to reveal the link between acupuncture points and anatomical features and the neurological mechanisms that lead to acupuncture-induced analgesic effect are reviewed.

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“…65 Longer working hours, improper sleep, less physical activity, and shift work leads to lower back pain (LBP) among taxi drivers and other employees who spend significant amounts of their workday driving, such as truck drivers, letter carriers, or even police officers. 66 Shift workers have a cognitive decline and impaired work efficiency compared to non-shift workers. 5 Disturbed sleep can cause drowsiness, which is a major cause of road traffic accidents.…”

Section: Shift Work and Associated Comorbiditiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shift work and sleep: medical implications and management

Jehan¹,

Zizi²,

Pandi-Perumal³

et al. 2017

SMDIJ

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The primary occupation of a worker can play an important role in achieving good sleep, as well as good physical and mental health. Shift Work Sleep Disorder (SWSD) is a condition that results from working atypical shifts (i.e. other than the typical 9am to 5pm schedule). Individuals who manifest SWSD usually complaint of trouble sleeping, excessive sleepiness and fatigue which interfere with overall functioning. Misalignment of circadian timing system results in undesirable health consequences. Among shift workers, good sleep is essential for efficient functioning. Disturbed sleep is associated with anxiety, depression, poor physical and mental health and eventually, leads to impaired quality of life. The economic burden of undiagnosed, under-and untreated shift work is high. The healthcare workers and policymakers can play a pivotal role in dealing with this issue by educating the public and providing them with adequate privileges to perform their work.

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Low back pain among taxi drivers: a cross-sectional study

Abstract: The prevalence of LBP among professional taxi drivers in China was associated with a number of occupational features.

Cited by 34 publications

References 23 publications

Environmental and Health Effects of Benzene Exposure among Egyptian Taxi Drivers

Environmental and Health Effects of Benzene Exposure among Egyptian Taxi Drivers

Acupuncture and Neural Mechanism in the Management of Low Back Pain—An Update

Shift work and sleep: medical implications and management

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