[Occupational diseases among personnel of Polish hospitals, 2001]

The paper presents the data provided by the Central Register of Occupational Diseases in Poland on the compensated occupational diseases among hospital personnel, registered in 2001. The trends in the incidence of occupational diseases in this population over the period 1994-2001 are also discussed. In total, 394 new cases of occupational diseases among the hospital personnel were registered in 2001, which makes up 52.1% of all cases recorded under the "Health and social work" section of occupational activities, according to the Nomenclature des Activities de Communite Europeene. Most of these cases were found among nurses (47%), followed by physicians (15%), laboratory analysts (11.5%), orderlies (11%), and dentists (3%) and referred mainly to females (84.8%). Contagious and invasive diseases prevailed, constituting 73.9% of all cases. Viral hepatitis made up 72.5% of all registered contagious and invasive diseases: HBV was diagnosed in 46%, HCV in 50.2% and HBV + HCV in 1.8% of all viral hepatitis cases. Dermatoses, mostly of allergic etiology, were the second most prevalent diseases (11.4%), and were most frequently associated with exposure to latex, thiurams, mercaptobenzothiazole and non-specified rubber compounds-73% of all factors causing allergic dermatoses. Chronic diseases of locomotor system, chronic diseases of peripheral nervous system, chronic diseases of bronchi, chronic inflammation of nose, pharynx, larynx and trachea, and intoxications were also reported. Almost twofold decrease in the incidence rate in the population of workers referred to "Health and social work" activity section was observed in 2001 compared to 1994. The decrease in the number of the registered occupational diseases seen in the hospital employees was mostly due to the effective anti HBV prevention programs carried out in Poland among health care personnel since 1989.