Cardiovascular disease risk among male workers of a regional electricity distribution company in Brazil

Abstract

BACKGROUND: At energy distribution companies, office and operational employees work in different occupational environments. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) can develop due to occupational factors and can often lead to morbidity and disability. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the risk of CVD in workers with different occupations in an energy distribution company, using cardiometabolic indices. METHODS: Workers (men), aged between 20 and 70 years, were divided into two groups: operational (n = 78) and office (n = 106) workers. Their metabolic profiles were analyzed using anthropometric and laboratory data to obtain the atherogenic plasma index (AIP) and insulin resistance index (TyG), and to identify the hypertriglyceridemic waist (HTGW) phenotype as cardiometabolic indicators. RESULTS: There was no difference in CVD risk between the two groups. However, 82% of the test subjects presented a high risk for the development of atherosclerosis based on the AIP, and 11.4% presented the HTGW phenotype, along with the presence of dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and being overweight as risk factors for CVD. CONCLUSIONS: Although the identified risk factors are not related to the type of occupation at work, companies in the electricity sector can invest in the implementation of measures for health promotion to protect and prevent diseases and improve labor productivity and quality.