Dupuytren’s disease as a health hazard from work
Authors:
S. Perečinský 1; O. Mykhailyk 2; L. Murínová 1
Authors‘ workplace:
Klinika pracovného lekárstva a klinickej toxikológie LF Univerzity P. J. Šafárika a Univerzitnej nemocnice L. Pasteura, Košice
1; Klinika pracovného lekárstva a toxikológie, Ústredná vojenská nemocnica SNP Ružomberok-FN, Ružomberok, Slovenská republika
2
Published in:
Pracov. Lék., 77, 2025, No. 1, s. 17-21.
Category:
Original Papers
Overview
Dupuytren’s disease (Dupuytren‘s disease – DD) is a benign fibroproliferative disease affecting the palmar and digital aponeurosis. In later stages it can lead to chronic contracture usually of the fourth and/or fifth finger of the hand towards the palm. The development of DD is multifactorial with a significant genetic basis. An association with excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, diabetes mellitus, some hepatopathies, epilepsy, carpal tunnel syndrome and hand injuries has also been described. However, several studies have also confirmed the connection between DD and exposure to vibration and long-term excessive and unilateral loading. The aim of the presented work was to determine the possible connection of DD with occupational exposure in a heterogeneous working population and to define the professions with the highest prevalence of DD. The study includes 747 patients (432 men and 315 women) hospitalized in 2023 at the Department of Occupational Medicine and Clinical Toxicology of the Faculty of Medicine UPJŠ and UN LP in Košice (Slovak Republic). DD was detected in 74 cases (10%) – in 62 men (14.36%) and in 12 women (3.8%). The work confirmed the association between DD and exposure to vibrations transmitted to the hand (P = 0.002), long-term excessive and unilateral loading (P < 0.001), male gender (P < 0.001) and age over 56 years (P < 0.001). The prevalence was highest among drivers of trucks, tractors and bulldozers (27%), sawmill drivers (22%), breakers (17%), tunnelers (14%) and in various construction professions (16%). Based on the currently obtained results, it is possible to consider reporting DD as an occupational disease. Disease of the upper limbs from vibrations or Disease of the upper limbs from long-term unilateral loading in some professions.
Keywords:
occupational disease – Vibration – long-term excessive unilateral loading – Dupuytren’s disease – occupational exposure
Sources
- Broekstra, D. C., Groen, H., Molenkamp, S., Werker, P. M. N., van den Heuvel, E. R. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on the Strength and Consistency of the Associations between Dupuytren Disease and Diabetes Mellitus, Liver Disease, and Epilepsy (Systematický prehľad a metanalýza o sile a konzistentnosti asociácií medzi Dupuytrenovou chorobou a diabetom mellitus, ochorením pečene a epilepsiou). Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2018, 141, 3, s. 367–379.
- Descatha, A., Bodin, J., Ha, C., a kol. Heavy manual work, exposure to vibration and Dupuytren’s disease? Results of a surveillance program for musculoskeletal disorders (Ťažká manuálna práca, vystavenie vibráciám a Dupuytrenova choroba? Výsledky monitorovacieho programu pre choroby pohybového ústrojenstva). Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2012, 69, 4, s. 296–299.
- Descatha, A., Carton, M., Mediouni, Z., a kol. Association among work exposure, alcohol intake, smoking and Dupuytren’s disease in a large cohort study (GAZEL) (Asociácia medzi pracovnou expozíciou, príjmom alkoholu, fajčením a Dupuytrenovou chorobou vo veľkej kohortovej štúdii (GAZEL)). British Medical Journal Open, 2014, 4, 1, s. 4214.
- Descatha, A., Jauffret, P., Chastang, J.F., Roquelaure, Y., Leclerc, A. Should we consider Dupuytren’s contracture as work-related? A review and meta-analysis of an old debate (Mali by sme považovať Dupuytrenovu kontraktúru za súvisiacu s prácou? Prehľad a metaanalýza starej diskusie). BMC Musculoskelet Disord, 2011, 12, s. 96.
- Godtfredsen, N. S., Lucht, H., Prescott, E., Sorensen, T. I., Gronbaek, M. A prospective study linked both alcohol and tobacco to Dupuytren’s disease (Prospektívna štúdia spájajúca alkohol a tabak s Dupuytrenovou chorobou). Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 2004, 57, 8, s. 858–863.
- Gromnica, R., Straková, V. Dupuytren’s Contracture – its Relation to Manual Work and Vibrations (Dupuytrenova kontraktura – její vztah k manuální práci a vibracím). Pracovní lékařství, 2003, 55, 2, s. 62–66.
- Haines, A., Levis, C., Goldsmith, C., a kol. Dupuytren’s contracture and handwork: A case-control study (Dupuytrenova kontraktúra a manuálna práca: Prípadová a kontrolná štúdia). American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2017, 60, 8, s. 724–733.
- Hindocha, S., McGrouther, D. A., Bayat, A. Epidemiological evaluation of Dupuytren’s disease incidence and prevalence rates in relation to etiology (Epidemiologické hodnotenie výskytu a miery prevalencie Dupuytrenovej choroby vo vzťahu k etiológii). Hand (New York) 2009, 4, 3, s. 256–269.
- Legáth, Ľ. Choroby z povolania a rizikové kategórie aktuálne trendy v Slovenskej republike. Pracovní lékařství, 2020, 72, 1/2, s. 21–30.
- Mansur, H.G., de Oliviera, E. R., Goncalves, C. B. Epidemiological analysis of patients with Dupuytren’s disease (Epidemiologická analýza pacientov s Dupuytrenovou chorobou). Revista Brasileira de Ortopedia, 2018, 53, 1, s. 10–14.
- Murínová, L., Perečinský, S., Jančová, A., Murín, P., Legáth, Ľ. Is Dupuytren’s disease an occupational illness? (Je Dupuytrenova choroba chorobou z povolania?) Occupational Medicine (London), 2021, 71, 1, s. 28–33.
- Ng, M., Thakkar, D., Southam, L., a kol. A Genome-wide Association Study of Dupuytren Disease Reveals 17 Additional Variants Implicated in Fibrosis (Genómová asociačná štúdia Dupuytrenovej choroby odhaľuje 17 ďalších variantov podieľajúcich sa na fibróze). American Journal of Human Genetics, 2017, 101, 3, s. 417–427.
- Palmer, K. T., D’angelo, S., Szddall, H., Griffin, M. J., Cooper, C., Coggon, D. Dupuytren’s contracture and occupational exposure to hand-transmitted vibration (Dupuytrenova kontraktúra a pracovná expozícia vibráciám prenášaným na ruky). Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2014, 71, 4, s. 241–245.
- Townley, W. A., Baker, R., Sheppard, N., Grobbelaar A. O. Dupuytren’s contracture unfolded (Rozvinutá Dupuytrnova kontraktúa). British Medical Journal, 2006, 332, 7538, s. 397–400.
Metodika štúdie bola schválená Etickou komisiou Univerzitnej nemocnice L. Pasteura v Košiciach 2023/EK/02008.
Prehlásenie
Prehlasujem, že práca nebola zadaná na uverejnenie inému časopisu ani inde vytlačená.
Autori deklarujú, že nemajú stret záujmov v súvislosti so zverejnenou témou práce.
Do tisku přijato dne 19. 5. 2025.
Adresa pro korespondenci:
doc. MUDr. Slavomír Perečinský, PhD.
Klinika pracovného lekárstva a klinickej toxikológie,
LF UPJŠ a UN LP Košice
Rastislavova 43
041 90 Košice Slovenská republika
e-mail: slavomir.perecinsky@upjs.sk
Labels
Hygiene and epidemiology Hyperbaric medicine Occupational medicineArticle was published in
Occupational Medicine
2025 Issue 1
Most read in this issue
- Occupational diseases reported in the Czech Republic in 2024
- Chronic lumbar spine disease as an occupational disease – assessment of occupational exposure – first two years of experience
- Dupuytren’s disease as a health hazard from work
- Occupational medicine and France