Thermal Perception Thresholds Among Workers in a Cold Climate

Overview

Journal Int Arch Occup Environ Health

Specialty Environmental Health

Date 2017 May 13

PMID 28497276

Citations 4

Authors

Lage Burstrom

Bodil Bjor

Tohr Nilsson

Hans Pettersson

Ingemar Rodin

Jens Wahlstrom

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate whether exposure to cold could influence the thermal perception thresholds in a working population.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was comprised of 251 males and females and was carried out at two mines in the northern part of Norway and Sweden. The testing included a baseline questionnaire, a clinical examination and measurements of thermal perception thresholds, on both hands, the index (Digit 2) and little (Digit 5) fingers, for heat and cold.

Results: The thermal perception thresholds were affected by age, gender and test site. The thresholds were impaired by experiences of frostbite in the fingers and the use of medication that potentially could affect neurosensory functions. No differences were found between the calculated normative values for these workers and those in other comparative investigations conducted in warmer climates.

Conclusions: The study provided no support for the hypothesis that living and working in cold climate will lead to impaired thermal perception thresholds. Exposure to cold that had caused localized damage in the form of frostbite was shown to lead to impaired thermal perception.

Citing Articles

Self-reported exposure to dust and diesel exhaust, respiratory symptoms, and use of respiratory protective equipment among Arctic miners.

Peyre-Costa D, Stjernbrandt A, Wahlstrom J, Ikaheimo T, Hoper A Int J Circumpolar Health. 2024; 83(1):2343125.

PMID: 38626426 PMC: 11022915. DOI: 10.1080/22423982.2024.2343125.

Neurosensory and vascular symptoms and clinical findings in the hands of Arctic open-pit miners in Sweden and Norway - a descriptive study.

Stjernbrandt A, Johnsen M, Liljelind I, Aminoff A, Wahlstrom J, Hoper A Int J Circumpolar Health. 2023; 82(1):2254916.

PMID: 37669310 PMC: 10481761. DOI: 10.1080/22423982.2023.2254916.

Thermal Perceptual Thresholds are typical in Autism Spectrum Disorder but Strongly Related to Intra-individual Response Variability.

Williams Z, Failla M, Davis S, Heflin B, Okitondo C, Moore D Sci Rep. 2019; 9(1):12595.

PMID: 31467358 PMC: 6715703. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-49103-2.

Asymptomatic loss of intraepidermal nerve fibers with preserved thermal detection thresholds after repeated exposure to severe cold.

Kroigard T, Wirenfeldt M, Svendsen T, Sindrup S Brain Behav. 2018; 8(3):e009147.

PMID: 29541548 PMC: 5840450. DOI: 10.1002/brb3.917.

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