Vibroacoustic disease.

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Environmental Medicine
• Pathology

Background:

• Vibroacoustic disease (VAD) is a systemic pathology resulting from prolonged exposure to low-frequency noise (LFN).
• It affects various professionals and populations exposed to environmental LFN.
• The condition involves abnormal proliferation of extracellular matrices and has been studied since the late 1980s using human autopsies and animal models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize current knowledge on Vibroacoustic Disease (VAD).
• To detail the pathological effects of low-frequency noise (LFN) exposure.
• To highlight the genotoxic and mutagenic outcomes of LFN exposure and advocate for regulatory changes.

Main Methods:

• Review of autopsy findings from VAD patients.
• Analysis of data from LFN-exposed animal models.
• Examination of clinical manifestations and genotoxic effects in humans and animals.

Main Results:

• LFN exposure causes cardiovascular structural thickening, notably pericardial thickening without inflammation or diastolic dysfunction, a hallmark of VAD.
• Psychological and cognitive impairments, including depression and decreased cognitive skills, are observed in VAD patients.
• LFN is a genotoxic agent, increasing sister chromatid exchanges and leading to mutagenic outcomes like malignancies and metaplasia/dysplasia.

Conclusions:

• Pericardial thickening is the primary indicator of VAD.
• LFN exposure has significant genotoxic and mutagenic effects, contributing to various health issues.
• Current noise assessment legislation is inadequate, hindering the recognition and management of VAD as an occupational and environmental disease.