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Introduction: Sleep disorders include a number of different processes, of which the most prevalent is the sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS). Prevalence of SAHS has increased worldwide, and has a significant social and health impact because of the increased cardiometabolic risk attributed to obesity and the associated metabolic syndrome., Material and Methods: A cross-sectional epidemiological study of 1110 workers from public service companies in the Spanish Mediterranean area (Balearic Islands and Valencian Community) was conducted between January and December 2015. Cardiovascular risk was calculated using the Castelli, Kannel and TG/HDL indices, and prevalence of obesity using body mass index, waist circumference, waist-height ratio, and visceral fat. SAHS risk was assessed using the Stop-Bang questionnaire., Results: Risk of SAHS was low in 77% of patients and intermediate-high in 23% of patients. All obesity parameters showed a statistically significant association (p value <.001) with intermediate/high risk of SAHS. Obesity prevalence is higher the worse the quality of sleep. There was a statistically significant relationship between risk of SAHS and cardiovascular risk with the atherogenic indexes found., Conclusions: Twenty-three percent of workers had intermediate/high SAHS risk. The results of this study support the relationship of SAHS with an increased CVR and with obesity parameters. Further prospective studies in different productive sectors may be useful to confirm the results of this research., (Copyright © 2017 SEEN y SED. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Alcohol consumption is a concern for its effects on health and repercussions on the work environment. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of alcohol consumption among civil servants and to examine its association with sociodemographic and occupational variables. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1180 workers from January to November 2011. The prevalence of alcohol consumption was measured in ABV (alcohol by volume) units, and examined by sociodemographic and occupational variables (sex, education level, type of work and social class). Overall, 81.78%of the study population consumed alcohol; most were men, with moderate-severe consumption levels. Alcohol consumption was related to low education level, social class, and manual work. These results indicate the need for occupational health services to implement preventive actions at the workplace., (Copyright belongs to the Societat Catalana de Salut Laboral.)

Introduction: Hearing loss due to noise is considered within the prevention plans of the most common occupational diseases. In addition to evaluation of working conditions, other personal factors increasing the risk of hypoacusis, such as diabetes, should be taken into account., Objectives: To explore hearing loss in the workplace and its relationship to impaired fasting baseline blood glucose levels., Methods: An observational, cross-sectional study enrolling 1636 workers from service companies was conducted. Full audiometric evaluation was performed at different frequencies: high frequency (HF), early loss index (ELI), speech average loss (SAL), and monaural and binaural loss. Results were categorized by baseline blood glucose levels: G1 (<100mg/dl), G2 (100-125mg/dl), and G3 (>125mg/dl)., Results: Based on both HF and ELI, 11% of workers had clear indication of deafness. Women with G3 levels showed significant differences in the results of HF and ELI indexes as compared to the G1 group (P=.038 and .046, respectively). A positive association was found between hearing loss and G3 blood glucose levels in HF (OR: .338; p=.002), ELI (OR: .407; p=.007), and the monaural test in the left ear (OR: 4.77×10-5; p=.006)., Conclusions: Despite the methodological limitations of this study, there is evidence for an increased risk of high frequency hearing loss in workers with high baseline blood glucose levels., (Copyright © 2013 SEEN. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.)