Demographic characteristics and nailfold capillary characteristics of participants
| HAVS (n=35) | VEC (n=39) | NVEC (n=39) | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic characteristics | ||||
| Age (years), mean±SD | 42.80±5.96 | 40.72±7.35 | 41.37±8.74 | >0.05 |
| Seniority (months), mean±SD | 127.60±63.68* | 70.77±50.27 | – | <0.001† |
| BMI, mean±SD | 22.52±2.59*,‡ | 23.92±2.75 | 24.59±3.18 | 0.008 |
| Smoking, n (%) | 28 (80) | 34 (87.2) | 33 (82.5) | >0.05 |
| Alcohol drinking, n (%) | 19 (54.3) | 21 (53.8) | 29 (72.5) | >0.05 |
| LNCEI, mean±SD | 10.52±1.07 | 9.91±1.12 | – | <0.05† |
| Nailfold capillary characteristics | ||||
| Haemorrhages, n (%) | 23 (65.7)*,‡ | 3 (7.7) | 3 (7.5) | <0.001 |
| Enlarged capillaries, n (%) | 21 (60.0)‡ | 9.98 (25.6)§ | 9.75 (25.0) | 0.04 |
| Avascular areas, n (%) | 26 (74.3)‡ | 17 (43.6)§ | 10 (25.0) | <0.001 |
| Number of capillaries/mm, mean±SD | 7.41±1.79*,‡ | 8.87±1.80§ | 9.69±1.22 | <0.001 |
| Output limb width (μm), mean±SD | 21.09±4.44*,‡ | 16.06±2.05 | 15.74±2.21 | <0.001 |
| Input limb width (μm), mean±SD | 15.77±3.26*,‡ | 13.05±1.75 | 12.84±1.60 | <0.001 |
| Apical width (μm), mean±SD | 21.40±4.34*,‡ | 16.65±3.41 | 16.92±2.53 | <0.001 |
| Capillary limbs length (μm), mean±SD | 191.77±52.88*,‡ | 180.21±64.99 | 159.83±29.40 | <0.05 |
| Capillary total width (μm), mean±SD | 50.71±10.92‡ | 42.33±6.25 | 43.16±5.32 | 0.001 |
| Ratio of output limb and input limb (μm), mean±SD | 1.36±0.13*,‡ | 1.25±0.08 | 1.24±0.10 | <0.001 |
Napierian logarithm CEI (LN (CEI)) was used as a final index to calculate the vibration exposure dose.
*HAVS versus VEC: p<0.05.
†Comparison between HAVS versus VEC.
‡HAVS versus NVEC: p<0.05.
§VEC versus NVEC: p<0.05.
BMI, body mass index; CEI, Cumulative Exposure Index; HAVS, hand-arm vibration syndrome; NVEC, non-vibration-exposed controls; VEC, vibration-exposed controls.