Hypertriglyceridemia among workers exposed to noise

Background: Harmful noise effects depend on their physical characteristics, exposure, personal predispositions and can be auditive and extraauditive. Extraauditive effects are manifested as psychological, cardiovascular and neurovegetative disturbances toward rise of simpaticus stimulation. Elevated serum triglycerides contribute to increasing cardiovascular diseases, both directly and indirectly. Aim: The basic aim is to evaluate the influence of noise to serum triglyceride level and to prove that noise exposed workers have elevated triglyceride levels. Patients and Methods: The tested groups included 61 industrial, to noise exposed group from 68.7 to 90 dB with periodical peaks and the control group including 46 workers of the same factory but not exposed to the noise. All patients with elements of primary or secondary hypertriglyceridemia are excluded according to the study protocol. Serum triglyceride concentrations is determined by the TGL (triglyceride) enzymatic method. Results: There is no statistically significant difference between the to noise exposed and the unexposed workers in accordance to gender, age, and body mass index p >= 0.05. The main changes are found between the noise exposed and the noise unexposed groups in relation to the triglyceride levels. In the noise exposed group there are 24 out of 61 workers with elevated triglyceride levels, and 8 out of 46 with hypertriglyceridemia in the to noise unexposed group (t=2.61, **p <= 0.01). Conclusion: Workers exposed to noise have elevated triglyceride levels compared to ones not exposed.