Raynaud’s phenomenon in the occupational context

Abstract

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE To review articles that evaluated the prevalence of Raynaud’s phenomenon of occupational origin. METHODS The search for articles was carried out in the Medline (via PubMed), Embase, Web of Science, Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), and Latin America and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (Lilacs) databases. RESULTS 64 articles were obtained from the electronic search; 18 articles met the eligibility criteria. All studies discussed the exposure to vibrations in the upper limbs. In 6 of them, the thermal issue was directly or indirectly addressed. No studies have addressed exposure to vinyl chloride. CONCLUSIO In general, a higher prevalence of Raynaud’s phenomenon was found among vibratory tool operators compared to non-exposed workers, with an increase in the number of cases the higher the level of vibration and the time of exposure. Cold is a triggering and aggravating factor of the Raynaud phenomenon and seems to play an important role in the emergence of vascular manifestations of the hand-arm vibration syndrome.