To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Raynaud's Phenomenon Twice As Severe In Smokers URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/1CD686.htm Doctor's Guide April 19, 2000
LONDON, UK -- April 19, 2000 -- Workers who frequently use pneumatic and oscillating tools, such as pneumatic drills, chainsaws, metal grinders, and chipping hammers, often suffer from vibration white finger, otherwise known as occupational Raynaud's phenomenon. This means that their blood vessels become overly sensitised to cold and constrict while their blood pressure falls. Symptoms are painful and disabling. A report in Occupational and Environmental Medicine shows that smoking seems to perpetuate circulatory problems and that it delays recovery when the tools are no longer being used. The research team assessed the vascular responses of 600 shipyard metal workers in specially simulated cold conditions. All the workers had, or continued to use, pneumatic tools. Two years later, 199 of those who had been most severely affected and who were no longer using pneumatic tools, were reassessed. Smokers were twice as likely to have severe symptoms of vasoconstriction as non-smokers. The smokers were also younger and had worked for a shorter time than the non-smokers, suggesting that their symptoms may have forced them to give up work, say the authors. Circulatory test results had improved in 53 workers who had given up smoking between the tests, but their symptoms had not. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.