The role of abdominal obesity in the development of cardiopulmonary disorders in aluminum industry workers

Introduction. Cardiopulmonary disorders should be considered as a complex process, in the pathogenesis of which excess body weight can play an important role. Without timely prevention, the processes of inflammation and hypoxia, characteristic of abdominal obesity, can accelerate the development of cardiopulmonary insufficiency. This is especially relevant for workers in metallurgical industries with harmful working conditions.

Materials and methods. The study included one hundred thirteen long-term labour experience workers of the main occupations of aluminum production and 66 workers of the paramilitary mine rescue brigade. The average age of metallurgists was 47.81±0.43 years, mine rescuers — 46.91± 0.53 years, p=0.213.

All the subjects underwent a study of the external respiration function and echocardiography according to standard methods.

Results. In persons with abdominal obesity the average values of the vital lung capacity were significantly lower: 83.59±2.19% vs. 91.16±1.31% (p=0.0021) among metallurgists and 86.43±2.67% vs. 94.63±1.43% (p=0.0041) among the workers of the paramilitary mine rescue brigade, a similar pattern was revealed in terms of the forced exhalation volume for the first second — 77.1±2.41 vs. 88.24±1.38% (p=0.00003) and 85.6±3.13% vs. 93.34±1.31% (p=0.0094), respectively.

The studied average values of the indices of diastolic function of the right ventricle were typical for the development of its dysfunction in metallurgists, and also indicated the absence of the influence of abdominal obesity on them in all examined subjects.

Limitations. The study was limited by the number of the examined persons undergoing periodic medical examination at the Research Institute for Complex Problems of Hygiene and Occupational Diseases.

Conclusion. Lower respiratory indices were recorded in persons with abdominal obesity, while obstructive ventilation disorders were detected only in aluminum production workers. Abdominal obesity was not associated with the indices of diastolic function of the right ventricle. The tendency to the formation of diastolic dysfunction of the right ventricle had been noted in the workers of the main occupations of aluminum production.

Compliance with ethical standards. All subjects signed an informed consent to participate in the study, the protocol of which corresponded to the requirements of the Bioethical Committee of the Research Institute for Complex Problems of Hygiene and Occupational Diseases, executed in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of the World Medical Association “Ethical Principles for Conducting Scientific Medical Researches Involving Humans” as amended in 2013 and the “Rules of Clinical Practice in the Russian Federation”, approved by the Order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation No. 266 dated 19.06.2003.

Contribution:
Filimonov E.S. — the concept and design of the study, statistical processing, writing a text;
Korotenko O.Yu. — the concept and design of the study, collection of material, writing a text;
Ulanova E.V. — collection of material, writing a text.
All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement. The study had no sponsorship.

Received: January 9, 2023 / Accepted: March 24, 2023 / Published: May 29, 2023