Alterations of the nervous system in patients with vibration disease

Abstract

Introduction. An important aspect of prevention is the dynamic monitoring of workers exposed to the vibration in the workplace, which not only forms the basis for the diagnosis of occupational intoxication, but also ensures timely resolution of issues of examination of working capacity.
 Materials and methods. Twenty one male patient with an established diagnosis of vibration disease (VD) associated with exposure to local vibration. A dynamic survey was conducted, 3 observation periods were studied.
 Results. Over the 3rd period of the examination, the latency of N10 and N30 increased when compared with the 1st period. In periods 2 and 3, the duration of N13–N18 increased compared to period 1. The rate of pulse conduction (RPC) along the ulnar nerve decreased during period 2 when compared with period 1. Over the period 3, a decrease in RPC along the tibial nerve was revealed when compared with periods 1 and 2. During periods 2 and 3, the amplitude of the ulnar nerve action potential decreased when compared with period 1, along the afferent axons of the ulnar nerve the RPC decreased during period 2 when compared with 1. In period 3, the RPC along the median nerve decreased when compared with period 1.
 Limitations. The limitation of this study is that the dynamics of changes depending on the degree of vibration disease has not been analyzed. This task was not implemented due to the small number of observations in the sample. 
 Conclusion. The progression of vibration disease syndromes and the degree of severity of vibration disease in dynamics were noted. The time of activation of neurons of the somatosensory zone of the cerebral cortex and the time of passage of the pulse from neurons of the cervical thickening to the thalamic structures in dynamics was found to slow down. There were increased disturbances in the conduction of the pulse along the axons at the level of the brachial plexus and from the brachial plexus to the lower parts of the brain stem. Demyelinating changes in the motor component of the peripheral nerves of the upper and lower extremities were aggravated in patients.