Professional paper

Occupational vasoneuroses in shoe industry

Miroslav Flaischhacker ; Institut za higijenu rada Zagreb

Abstract

The problem of vasomotor neuroses in shoe industry arises in connection with work on pounding-up machines. Their clinical picture includes Raynaud's Fenomenon on the 2nd to 5th finger on both hands. I observed 16 workers who had been working on pounding-up machines from 6l/2 months to 13 years and I found that all were suffering from vasoueuroses. Attacks of livid swelling occured several times a day, if patients were depending on the number of exposures to cold (cold water, cold air, cold objects). During work there had usually no attacks. The severity of the disease depended on the length of employment, on the intensity of work and the condition of the machine. The provocation of an attack by cold water proved successful for the diagnosis of the disease. This method yielded good results both in summer and in winter. If the patients do not discontinue work on pounding-up machines the vasoneurosis has a tendency to progress. I observed no spontaneous remissions. Patients who discontinued work can be divided into two groups: into reversible and irreversible cases. The first ones are, as a rule, likely to improve and become free of symptoms. Irreversible cases usually retain the objective and subjective symptoms of the disease. 1 never met with severe lesions. X-ray pictures of the joints of upper extremities yielded no. sure information on occupational lesions of joints. The capacity for work was not impaired. As the best method for preventing the vasoneuroses caused by pounding-up machines, l recommend, in addition to technical measures, the appropriate selection of workers (pre-employment examinations, periodical examinations). The duration of work should be limited to five years.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

187077

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/187077

Publication date:

15.9.1953.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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