BACKGROUND: The study of the profile of medical records of tobacco growers contributes to discussions on the establishment of diagnosis and its causal correlation with work. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the profile of clinical information in medical records of tobacco growers. METHODS: The present was a descriptive field and documentary study, with quantitative approach, of 149medical records of farmers who visited basic health units in rural communities in the municipality of Arapiraca, Alagoas, Brazil, from 2008 to 2013. RESULTS: About 66% of the investigated population was female, with average age 58.6 years old (standard deviation ±16.4). The most significant clinical complaint found in the records was headache (16.71%), followed by low back pain (10.20%), dysuria or other urinary problems (8.90%) and stomachache (8.30%). Medical diagnoses included gastritis (15.1%), depression (7.1%), anxiety (7.1%), myalgia (7.1%) and arthritis/arthralgia (5.3%). Correlation between clinical complaints and work performed by tobacco growers was registered on one single medical record. CONCLUSION: The clinical profile of tobacco growers described in the medical records might be associated with their social and working conditions and related to pesticide and nicotine poisoning. However, the scarcity of information on the environmental and occupational risk context limits the establishment of a causal link. As a function of the relevance of the occupational-clinical conditions of this population of workers, improving medical records is necessary, as the temporal relationship between exposure and outcomes might account for the occurrence of the reported symptoms.
BACKGROUND: The study of the profile of medical records of tobacco growers contributes to discussions on the establishment of diagnosis and its causal correlation with work. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the profile of clinical information in medical records of tobacco growers. METHODS: The present was a descriptive field and documentary study, with quantitative approach, of 149medical records of farmers who visited basic health units in rural communities in the municipality of Arapiraca, Alagoas, Brazil, from 2008 to 2013. RESULTS: About 66% of the investigated population was female, with average age 58.6 years old (standard deviation ±16.4). The most significant clinical complaint found in the records was headache (16.71%), followed by low back pain (10.20%), dysuria or other urinary problems (8.90%) and stomachache (8.30%). Medical diagnoses included gastritis (15.1%), depression (7.1%), anxiety (7.1%), myalgia (7.1%) and arthritis/arthralgia (5.3%). Correlation between clinical complaints and work performed by tobacco growers was registered on one single medical record. CONCLUSION: The clinical profile of tobacco growers described in the medical records might be associated with their social and working conditions and related to pesticide and nicotine poisoning. However, the scarcity of information on the environmental and occupational risk context limits the establishment of a causal link. As a function of the relevance of the occupational-clinical conditions of this population of workers, improving medical records is necessary, as the temporal relationship between exposure and outcomes might account for the occurrence of the reported symptoms.
Entities:
Keywords:
medical records; occupational health; pesticides; public health surveillance
Authors: Patricia Pereira Vasconcelos de Oliveira; Camila Brederode Sihler; Lenildo de Moura; Deborah Carvalho Malta; Maria Célia de Albuquerque Torres; Sandra Márcia da Costa Pereira Lima; Ana Lucia Alves de Lima; Carlos Eduardo Leite; Vera Luiza da Costa-e-Silva; Jeremy Sobel; Tatiana Miranda Lanzieri Journal: Cad Saude Publica Date: 2010-12 Impact factor: 1.632
Authors: Cheryl L Beseler; Lorann Stallones; Jane A Hoppin; Michael C R Alavanja; Aaron Blair; Thomas Keefe; Freya Kamel Journal: Environ Health Perspect Date: 2008-09-09 Impact factor: 9.031