title: Prevalence of hypertension and noise-induced hearing loss in Chinese coal miners.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Owing to inconsistent epidemiologic evidence and the presence of confounding factors, the relation between occupational noise exposure and hypertension still remained unclear. We aimed to assess whether Chinese coal miners were at risk of developing hypertension and noise induced hearing loss (NIHL), and whether occupational noise exposure was a risk factor of hypertension.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire was designed to collect information from 738 study participants, all of whom were employees from the Datun Xuzhou Coal Company. The participants were divided into a noise-exposed group and a control group based on the noise level to which they were exposed in the workplace. The differences in the mean of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were compared between the noise-exposed and control groups. Also the prevalence and age-adjusted odds ratio (OR) [95% confidence intervals (CIs)] of audiometric deficit and hypertension was compared in the study. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the relation between occupational noise level and hypertension while controlling for potential confounding factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hypertension was more prevalent in noise-exposed group than the control group, 29.2% vs. 21.2% (P=0.012). The noise-exposed group faced an increased risk of hypertension (age-adjusted OR =1.52, 95% CI =1.07-2.15) when the control group was used as reference. The mean values of SBP and DBP of the noise-exposed groups were significantly higher than the control group (P=0.006 and P=0.002 respectively). Hearing loss at low frequencies was significantly more prevalent in the noise-exposed group than the control group, 12.8% vs. 7.4% (P=0.015), while the noise-exposed group faced the increased risk of hearing loss at low frequencies (age-adjusted OR =1.81, 95% CI =1.10-2.96). LEX, 8h (OR =1.036, 95% CI =1.012-1.060) was an independent risk of hypertension when controlling for potential confounding factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that the occupational noise had an effect on the hypertension and hearing loss of Chinese coal miners. And the occupational noise was an independent risk factor for hypertension and could increase the values of SBP and DBP.
authors.affiliation: 1 Nanjing Prevention and Treatment Centre for Occupational Disease, Nanjing 210042, China ; 2 Institute of Occupational Disease Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China ; 3 Suzhou Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Suzhou 215003, China ; 4 Department of Integrated Management & Emergency Preparedness and Response, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: 1 Nanjing Prevention and Treatment Centre for Occupational Disease, Nanjing 210042, China ; 2 Institute of Occupational Disease Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China ; 3 Suzhou Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Suzhou 215003, China ; 4 Department of Integrated Management & Emergency Preparedness and Response, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: 1 Nanjing Prevention and Treatment Centre for Occupational Disease, Nanjing 210042, China ; 2 Institute of Occupational Disease Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China ; 3 Suzhou Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Suzhou 215003, China ; 4 Department of Integrated Management & Emergency Preparedness and Response, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: 1 Nanjing Prevention and Treatment Centre for Occupational Disease, Nanjing 210042, China ; 2 Institute of Occupational Disease Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China ; 3 Suzhou Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Suzhou 215003, China ; 4 Department of Integrated Management & Emergency Preparedness and Response, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Hengdong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: 1 Nanjing Prevention and Treatment Centre for Occupational Disease, Nanjing 210042, China ; 2 Institute of Occupational Disease Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China ; 3 Suzhou Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Suzhou 215003, China ; 4 Department of Integrated Management & Emergency Preparedness and Response, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Liping
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: 1 Nanjing Prevention and Treatment Centre for Occupational Disease, Nanjing 210042, China ; 2 Institute of Occupational Disease Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China ; 3 Suzhou Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Suzhou 215003, China ; 4 Department of Integrated Management & Emergency Preparedness and Response, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Qingdong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: 1 Nanjing Prevention and Treatment Centre for Occupational Disease, Nanjing 210042, China ; 2 Institute of Occupational Disease Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China ; 3 Suzhou Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Suzhou 215003, China ; 4 Department of Integrated Management & Emergency Preparedness and Response, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Enming
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: 1 Nanjing Prevention and Treatment Centre for Occupational Disease, Nanjing 210042, China ; 2 Institute of Occupational Disease Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China ; 3 Suzhou Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Suzhou 215003, China ; 4 Department of Integrated Management & Emergency Preparedness and Response, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Qiuni
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: 1 Nanjing Prevention and Treatment Centre for Occupational Disease, Nanjing 210042, China ; 2 Institute of Occupational Disease Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China ; 3 Suzhou Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Suzhou 215003, China ; 4 Department of Integrated Management & Emergency Preparedness and Response, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Boshen
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: 1 Nanjing Prevention and Treatment Centre for Occupational Disease, Nanjing 210042, China ; 2 Institute of Occupational Disease Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China ; 3 Suzhou Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Suzhou 215003, China ; 4 Department of Integrated Management & Emergency Preparedness and Response, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: 1 Nanjing Prevention and Treatment Centre for Occupational Disease, Nanjing 210042, China ; 2 Institute of Occupational Disease Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China ; 3 Suzhou Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Suzhou 215003, China ; 4 Department of Integrated Management & Emergency Preparedness and Response, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Dandan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: 1 Nanjing Prevention and Treatment Centre for Occupational Disease, Nanjing 210042, China ; 2 Institute of Occupational Disease Prevention, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China ; 3 Suzhou Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Suzhou 215003, China ; 4 Department of Integrated Management & Emergency Preparedness and Response, Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China.
authors.forename: Baoli
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhu
keywords: Hypertension; occupational noise and hearing loss