Occupational noise exposure linked to increased arthritis risk, suggests study

A recent study published in the BMC Public Health unveiled a previously overlooked connection between the occupational noise exposure and the prevalence of arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA).

The study led by Zhounan Wu and team utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and analyzed information from 2005 to 2012 and pre-pandemic data up to March 2020. This comprehensive analysis assessed the impact of workplace noise on the development of arthritis in real-world scenarios.

The findings involved over 11,000 participants which revealed a significant association between occupational noise exposure and both RA and OA. According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, individuals with a history of exposure to workplace noise had a higher risk of self-reported RA (OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.18–1.73) and OA (OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.07–1.46).

This study also observed a correlation between the duration of occupational noise exposure and the risk of developing RA. While there was a noticeable increase in odds for prevalent RA among the individuals who were exposed for one year or more, the analysis did not reveal a clear exposure-response relationship for durations exceeding one year. Also, subgroup analyses unveiled a significant interaction between age and occupational noise exposure in regard to the prevalence of OA which hints at the potential age-related factors that influences susceptibility to the condition.

The implications of these findings underscore the importance of considering occupational noise exposure as a potential risk factor for arthritis that adds to the growing body of research linking workplace conditions to broader health outcomes. The outcomes of this study caution towards the further investigations that is imperative to fully understand the mechanisms underlying these associations.

Reference:

Wu, Z., Liang, Y., Khan, A., & He, J. (2024). Is occupational noise associated with arthritis? Cross-sectional evidence from US population. In BMC Public Health (Vol. 24, Issue 1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-17897-0