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. 2021 Oct;78(10):753-760.
doi: 10.1136/oemed-2020-107232. Epub 2021 May 11.

Effects of chronic intermittent hypobaric hypoxia on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in Chilean miners

Diana Elizabeth Alcantara-Zapata  1   2 , Shrikant I Bangdiwala  3 , Daniel Jiménez  1 , Manolis Kogevinas  4 , Nella Marchetti  5 , Carolina Nazzal  6
Affiliations

Effects of chronic intermittent hypobaric hypoxia on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in Chilean miners

Diana Elizabeth Alcantara-Zapata et al. Occup Environ Med. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

Objective: The aim was to determine the effects of chronic intermittent hypobaric hypoxia (CIHH) on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in Chilean miners who work at different altitudes.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between April and July 2019. Miners from five mines (N=338) at different altitudes were evaluated. We recorded sociodemographic, working and altitude information. Haemoglobin oxygen saturation (SaO2) and haemoglobin (Hb) were measured in situ, while PSA and testosterone were analysed at a low level. Linear mixed-effect models were used to evaluate the association between PSA level and two CIHH exposures: composite CIHH (with four descriptors) and ChileStd-CIHH (CIHH Chilean standard; based on the Chilean technical guide for occupational exposure to CIHH). All models were adjusted by age, body mass index and day of the work the samples were taken.

Results: Highest and lowest PSA levels were found in mines ≥3000 m above sea level (mine 3: median=0.75, IQR=-0.45; mine 4: median=0.46, IQR=-0.35). In the multilevel models, the wider altitude difference between mining operation and camp showed lower PSA levels (model D: βPSA=-0.93 ng/mL, βlogPSA=-0.07, p<0001), adjusted for other CIHH descriptors, SaO2, Hb and testosterone. The descriptors of composite CIHH explained better PSA variations than ChileStd-CIHH (model D: marginal R2=0.090 vs model A: marginal R2=0.016).

Conclusions: Occupational health regulations and high altitude medicine should consider these results as initial evidence on the inclusion of new descriptors for CIHH and the possible effect of this exposure on PSA levels in this male-dominated occupational sector.

Keywords: environment; miners; occupational health; public health surveillance; urology.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1:
Figure 1:. Distribution of descriptors of composite-CIHH and its association with PSA
Years over 3000 m: years working over 3000 meters. Dif. Alt operation-camp: Difference in altitude between mining operation and camp. Dif. Alt operation-home: Difference in altitude between mining operation and home. SaO2: hemoglobin oxygen saturation. Hb: hemoglobin. BMI: body mass index.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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