The Risk Factors for Radiolucent Nephrolithiasis among Workers in High-Temperature Workplaces in the Steel Industry

I-Cheng Lu, Chen-Cheng Yang, Chi-Hsien Huang, Szu-Ying Chen, Chi-Wei Lin, Chia-Hsiang Lin and Hung-Yi Chuang ()
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I-Cheng Lu: Department of Occupational Medicine, E-Da Hospital, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung City 824, Taiwan
Chen-Cheng Yang: Department of Occupational Medicine, Kaohsiung Municipal Siaogang Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung City 812, Taiwan
Chi-Hsien Huang: Department of Family Medicine, E-Da Hospital, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung City 824, Taiwan
Szu-Ying Chen: Department of Occupational Medicine, E-Da Hospital, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung City 824, Taiwan
Chi-Wei Lin: Department of Family Medicine, E-Da Hospital, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung City 824, Taiwan
Chia-Hsiang Lin: Department of Urology Medicine, E-Da Hospital, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung City 824, Taiwan
Hung-Yi Chuang: Ph.D. Program in Environmental and Occupational Medicine, College of Medicine, and Research Center for Precision Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 23, 1-9

Abstract: Workers in high-temperature workplaces with inadequate water supply may exhibit symptoms of chronic dehydration and have increased risk of nephrolithiasis. The aim of this study was to investigate the risk of radiolucent stone formation among workers in a high-temperature workplace and the related risk factors associated with the condition. We collected data from 1681 workers in a steel factory in Southern Taiwan who underwent regular health examinations. Radiolucent stones were defined as positive findings on ultrasound with negative radiographic images. The prevalences of nephrolithiasis and radiolucent stones in this study were 12.0% and 5.1%, respectively. Heat exposure and age were two major risk factors influencing the probability of radiolucent stones. We combined the age and heat exposure into four groups (over and under 35 years of age with and without heat exposure) in a logistic regression. For workers younger than 35 years, the odds ratio of radiolucent stones was 2.695 (95% confidence interval: 1.201–6.049) in workers with heat exposure compared to workers without. Our investigation further demonstrated that heat exposure was a main risk factor for radiolucent stone formation. In conclusion, our identification of heat exposure as an independent factor for radiolucent stone development in steel workers highlights the need for attention to be paid to those working in similar environments.

Keywords: radiolucent stones; heat exposure; high-temperature workplace; steel worker (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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