Biomarkers of chronic stress in assessing the health status in employees at metal processing enterprises

Introduction. Currently, biomarkers (BMs) of chronic stress and their integral indicators are successfully used in prenosological diagnostics and prediction of progressing of chronic diseases and assessing impacts exerted on health by various environmental factors, including occupational ones.

Materials and methods. We used male workers employed at a metal processing enterprise as an example to examine influence exerted by duration of work under harmful conditions on BM trend and integral indicators of their adaptive conjugacy. The examined workers were aged between 24 and 65 years and their work records varied from 1 to 47 years. The analyzed indicators included the number of significant correlations, the weight of the correlation graph (CG), and correlation adaptation coefficient (CAC). Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistica 10.0 software package.

Results. We determined the average level of 16 individual BMs and 5 integral indicators of neuroendocrine, immunoinflammatory and metabolic processes and functional activity of the cardiovascular system in different age groups of subjects (< 10 years; 10–19 years; 20–29 years; ≥ 30). As a result, we established record-dependent elevated levels of cortisol, C-reactive protein and pro-inflammatory cytokines, cholesterol atherogenicity coefficient, blood pressure, body mass index and waist circumference. The highest values of the latter, above the reference limits, were determined in workers with work records ≥ 30 years. The risk group with the greatest adaptive tension consisted of workers with work records of 20–29 years. The lowest values of G and CCA, identified in workers who had to experience harmful working conditions for ≥ 30 years, could indicate a breakdown of adaptation mechanisms and the body’s transition to a state of allostasis.

Limitations. The study included only male blue-collar workers.

Conclusions. Poly-biomarker approach, including correlation adaptometry, is a preferable tool for population assessment of impacts exerted by duration of contacts with harmful occupational factors as opposed to determining levels of individual BMs.

Compliance with ethical standards. The study was conducted after obtaining informed consent from the examined workers and was approved by the local ethical committee of the Saratov International Research Center for Hygiene, Federal Scientific Center for Medical and Preventive Health Risk Management Technologies (protocol No. 3 dated December 02, 2024).

Contribution:
Bezrukova G.A. — the study concept, data collection and analysis, writing the text, references, and editing the text;
Novikova T.A. — data collection and analysis, writing the text, and references;
Kochetova N.A. — data collection and analysis.
All authors are responsible for the integrity of all parts of the manuscript and approval of the manuscript final version.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgement. The study had no sponsorship.

Received: August 13, 2024 / Revised: August 29, 2024 / Accepted: November 19, 2024 / Published: December 17, 2024