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. 2018 Oct;91(7):785-797.
doi: 10.1007/s00420-018-1327-2. Epub 2018 May 28.

Cold sensitivity and associated factors: a nested case-control study performed in Northern Sweden

Albin Stjernbrandt  1   2 , Daniel Carlsson  3 , Hans Pettersson  3 , Ingrid Liljelind  3 , Tohr Nilsson  3 , Jens Wahlström  3
Affiliations

Cold sensitivity and associated factors: a nested case-control study performed in Northern Sweden

Albin Stjernbrandt et al. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2018 Oct.

Abstract

Purpose: To identify factors associated with the reporting of cold sensitivity, by comparing cases to controls with regard to anthropometry, previous illnesses and injuries, as well as external exposures such as hand-arm vibration (HAV) and ambient cold.

Methods: Through a questionnaire responded to by the general population, ages 18-70, living in Northern Sweden (N = 12,627), cold sensitivity cases (N = 502) and matched controls (N = 1004) were identified, and asked to respond to a second questionnaire focusing on different aspects of cold sensitivity as well as individual and external exposure factors suggested to be related to the condition. Conditional logistic regression analyses were performed to determine statistical significance.

Results: In total, 997 out of 1506 study subjects answered the second questionnaire, yielding a response rate of 81.7%. In the multiple conditional logistic regression model, identified associated factors among cold sensitive cases were: frostbite affecting the hands (OR 10.3, 95% CI 5.5-19.3); rheumatic disease (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.7-5.7); upper extremity nerve injury (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.3-3.0); migraines (OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.3-4.3); and vascular disease (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.2-2.9). A body mass index ≥ 25 was inversely related to reporting of cold sensitivity (0.4, 95% CI 0.3-0.6).

Conclusions: Cold sensitivity was associated with both individual and external exposure factors. Being overweight was associated with a lower occurrence of cold sensitivity; and among the acquired conditions, both cold injuries, rheumatic diseases, nerve injuries, migraines and vascular diseases were associated with the reporting of cold sensitivity.

Keywords: Cold exposure; Cold sensitivity; Frostbite; Hand; Sweden.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethical standards

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee, and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. The study protocol was approved by the Regional Ethical Review Board situated at Umeå University (DNR 2015-24-31M and 2014-286-31M).

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Data collection for the CHINS1 and CHINS2 studies. The number of study subjects in each step of the data collection process is illustrated, and the response rates for each of the questionnaires are shown in parentheses. CHINS1 the first, population-based, data collection. CHINS2 the second, case-based, data collection. CS cold sensitivity, RP Raynaud’s phenomenon
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