Assessment of cardiovascular risk in workers occupationally exposed to lead without clinical presentation of cardiac involvement

Abstract Purpose The objective of this study was to assess, with aid of SCORE system, of 10-year risk of fatal cardiovascular incidents among workers occupationally exposed to lead, without circulatory system disorders. Methods The studies included 83 men (mean age: 55.14 ± 4.62 years): the 1st group consisted of persons occupationally exposed to lead (group I, n  = 40), and 2nd group – persons not exposed to lead (group II, n  = 43). 10-Year risk of fatal cardiovascular incidents was assessed with application of SCORE risk chart designed for Polish population. Results In the first group, mean values of SCORE calculated on the basis of the chart including total cholesterol concentration in serum were significantly higher. Also, there were significantly higher: mean values of SCORE calculated on the basis of the chart including total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol ratio, mean values of relative SCORE, percentage of individuals with risk estimated as increased, percentage of individuals with risk estimated as significantly increased. Simultaneously, the significantly lower percentage of individuals with risk estimated as small or moderate was found in the occupationally exposed subjects. Conclusions Persons occupationally exposed to lead compounds are burdened with significantly higher 10-year risk of fatal cardiovascular incident than individuals from the same population not exposed to lead.