Can diabetes be treated as an indirectly work-related disease?

• Main Authors: Andrzej Marcinkiewicz, Anna Radomska, Wojciech Hanke, Jolanta Walusiak-Skorupa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine 2017-10-01
• Series: Medycyna Pracy
• Subjects: diabetes mellitus; job; workplace; occupational health; occupational health service; work-related diseases
• Online Access: http://medpr.imp.lodz.pl/Czy-cukrzyce-mozna-traktowac-jako-chorobe-nposrednio-zwiazana-z-praca-,69018,0,2.html

In this article the authors attempted to analyze the arguments for considering diabetes as a work-related disease. An overview of literature has been done out of articles published in the years 1980–2016, with the use of combination of key words referring to employment, workplace, and diabetes. The PubMed database was the source of data. The authors indicate that the following arguments are in favor of diabetes being recognized as a work-related disease: diabetes is not an occupational disease, it is not directly related to the work environment or the way the work is performed, but there are observed adverse effects of occupational work-related nuisances, such as night shift work, long work hours, job strain or workplace standing time, which influence its development and course. The number of publications on diabetes, including the problem of occupational work is comparable to the number of analogous publications concerning work-related diseases such as hypertension or ischemic heart disease. Moreover, some aspects of professional activity and diabetes were also included in clinical recommendations for the workplace, which is uncommon in the case of other diseases, even those generally recognized as work-related. Data from medical references, indicating the effectiveness of workplace interventions aimed at preventing diabetes development and/or worsening of its course should be considered as an argument for the inclusion of diabetes into the group of work-related diseases. This should also support the need for further research and practical actions aimed at preventing diabetes at the workplace. Med Pr 2017;68(5):667–675