Morbidity with arterial hypertension among workers involved in nuclear weaponry utilization

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases remain a basic socially significant issue in most countries all over the world. Our research goal was to comparatively assess morbidity with arterial hypertension (ICD-9 codes 401–404 or ICD-10 codes I.10 –I.14) among workers involved in nuclear weaponry utilization. We examined an occupational cohort that included workers employed at chemical-metallurgical production of “Mayak” Production Association (PA). They were all employed in 1949–2014 and observed by medical personnel up to December 31, 2017; overall, the cohort included 10,908 people. We analyzed morbidity parameters taking into account both radiation factors (external gamma-irradiation and internal alpha-irradiation caused by incorporated plutonium) and basic non-radiation ones. Standardization was accomplished indirectly with an internal standard. Morbidity was calculated with medical statistics tools per 1,000 workers. We also assessed excess relative risk per one dose (ERR/Gy). As a result, we revealed that on December 31, 2017 2,270 arterial hypertension cases were registered in the examined cohort that included workers employed at “Mayak” PA who were involved in utilizing nuclear weaponry. We showed that standardized morbidity with arterial hypertension among workers employed at “Mayak” PA and involved in utilizing nuclear weaponry statistically significantly depended on non-radiation factors (sex, age, smoking status, attitude towards alcohol intake, body mass index, and pancreatic diabetes) and didn’t depend on total dose of external gamma-irradiation and internal alpha-irradiation absorbed in the liver.

Keywords

• arterial hypertension
• morbidity
• external gamma-irradiation
• internal alpha-irradiation
• occupational irradiation
• cohort study
• “mayak” pa
• nuclear weaponry utilization