Otoneurologic Findings in a Fishermen Population of the State of Santa Catarina: Preliminary Study

Abstract

Introduction Fishing, one of the oldest productive activities, is an important sector of the national and world economy. Aim To evaluate the vestibular behavior in a population of fishermen. Methods In a retrospective and cross-sectional study, 13 fishermen (mean 45.0), between 33 and 62 years of age, were submitted to anamnesis, otorhinolaryngological evaluation, and vestibular exam through the vector electronystagmography. Results The most evident otoneurologic symptoms were hearing loss (76.9%), tinnitus (61.7%), dizziness (46.1%), and headache (46.1%). The most evident clinical symptoms were fatigue (46.1%), depression (23.0%), anxiety (15.3%), insomnia (7.7%), and agitation during sleep (7.7%). There were alterations in the vestibular exam in 5 fishermen (38.5%) discovered in the caloric test. There was a prevalence of alteration in the peripheral vestibular system. There was a major frequency of the peripheral vestibular irritative syndrome. Conclusion The otoneurologic complaints were frequent in the population studied to verify the importance of allowing labyrinth exams and the need for adopting preventive measures relating to noise exposure as well as carbon monoxide exposure, because they can cause and/or enhance various manifestations of labyrinthine vestibular impairment that can affect the quality of life of these workers.

Work Stress and Depressive Symptoms in Fishermen With a Smoking Habit: A Mediator Role of Nicotine Dependence and Possible Moderator Role of Expressive Suppression and Cognitive Reappraisal

“…Hence, we hypothesized that our study population (smoking fishermen) may have serious depressive symptoms. Unexpectedly, in the present study, the prevalence of depressive symptoms (8.1%) in fishermen with a smoking habit is lower than that in previous reports ( Zeigelboim et al, 2014 , 2015 ). More surprisingly, it is even lower than that in the general population, as the literature suggests that approximately 18% of middle-aged Chinese men in Hong Kong are affected by depressive symptoms ( Wong et al, 2006 ); the reported prevalence of depression in male freshmen is 24.8% in Peking and 36.1% in Hong Kong ( Song et al, 2008 ).…”

“…In addition, fishermen’s health can be harmed by the dysregulated serum cortisol, cumulative sleep deprivation, and self-destructive behaviors as a result of persistent overwork at sea ( Allegri et al, 1996 ; Szymanska et al, 2006 ; Gander et al, 2008 ). As to the depression in fishermen, two small-sample surveys of fishermen with otoneurological symptoms yielded high rates of depression (23.0 and 16.7%, respectively) ( Zeigelboim et al, 2014 , 2015 ).…”

Health in fishing communities: A global perspective

“…Accidents and injuries, which were mentioned in 25 of the abstracts analyzed, included examples of injuries from handling marine organisms (Gweta, Spanier, & Bentur, 2008), drowning (Prosenewicz & Lippi, 2012), and the risk of decompression associated with fishers who dive (Lee et al, 1994). References to mental health were made in 10 of the abstracts and included specifically depression (Zeigelboim et al, 2014(Zeigelboim et al, , 2015 and stress (Smith, Jacob, Jepson, & Israel, 2003), as well as mental health as a whole (King et al, 2015; Table 2).…”

“…A notable finding from the reviewed literature is the lack of attention to mental health issues in fisheries. Where this was addressed, references were made to overall mental health (Sugisawa, 1994) and specifically depression, anxiety (Zeigelboim et al, 2014), and stress (Smith et al, 2003). In fishing communities, mental health and the ability to cope have been viewed from the perspective of events such as unexpected fishing access restrictions (Smith et al, 2003) and large scale environmental destruction (Cherry et al, 2017), with the ramifications for fishing families lasting well beyond the event itself.…”

Moderating Role of Perceived Social Support in the Relationship Between Emotion Regulation and Quality of Life in Chinese Ocean-Going Fishermen

“…Fishermen spend long periods of time separated from their families while enduring long working hours, hard physical work, and poor sleep conditions (Jeżewska et al, 2012). Their working conditions can lead to hearing impairment, visual impairment, obesity, cardiovascular system diseases, and skin injuries, all of which they are at an elevated risk for relative to the general population (Zeigelboim et al, 2013;Poulsen et al, 2014). Compared to people in other occupations, fishermen are also more likely to smoke, to partake in excessive alcohol consumption, and to develop anxiety and other mental health (Jeżewska et al, 2012).…”