ROLE OF HEALTHY WORKER EFFECT IN EPIDEMIOLOGY OF ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION OF MINERS

Abstract

Using the example of 1 553 workers of coal mines and 2 266 workers of "non-mining" professions (the group of control), an analysis of a role and features of the HWE (healthy worker effect) in prevalence of AH (arterial hypertension) was carried out. The study results showed rather low prevalence of AH in the miners and low specific weight of persons with AH of the third degree among them, what gave evidence of the HWE against the expressed adverse working conditions of miners. The minimum values of relative risk of AH in the youngest age groups of the miners and its increase with age indicated that preliminary professional selection in employment is the main mechanism of the HWE realization in the miners. The HWE caused a later age increase in systolic and diastolic pressure (respectively 6 and 10.3 years later) among the miners as well as AH progress (12.4 years later) in comparison with the control group.