The association Between Occupational Exposure to silica and Risk of Developing Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Meta-Analysis

Fereshteh Mehri; Ensiyeh Jenabi; Saeed Bashirian; Farshid Ghorbani Shahna; Salman Khazaei

doi:10.1016/j.shaw.2020.02.001

The association Between Occupational Exposure to silica and Risk of Developing Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Meta-Analysis

Saf Health Work. 2020 Jun;11(2):136-142. doi: 10.1016/j.shaw.2020.02.001. Epub 2020 Mar 5.

Authors

Fereshteh Mehri¹, Ensiyeh Jenabi², Saeed Bashirian³, Farshid Ghorbani Shahna⁴, Salman Khazaei⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nutritional Sciences, Nutrition Health Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
² Department of Nursing & Midwifery, Autism Spectrum Disorders Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
³ Department of Public Health, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
⁴ Department of Occupational Health, Occupational Health and Safety Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
⁵ Department of Epidemiology, Research Center for Health Sciences, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.

Abstract

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease with systemic inflammatory arthritis. This meta-analysis was conducted to examine the association between occupational exposure to silica and the risk of developing RA among different workers.

Methods: In this meta-analysis, we searched relevant published studies using major electronic databases including Scopus, PubMed, ISI Web of Science, and Google Scholar search engine up to October 2019, and the references of retrieved articles were also checked for further possible sources. A random-effects model was used to account for heterogeneity among the results of the studies using the pooled odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The Q-statistic and I² tests were calculated to assess heterogeneity between the studies.

Results: The pooled calculation of OR indicated a significant association between occupational exposure to silica and risk of developing RA among different workers (OR = 2.59, 95% CI = 1.73 to 3.45). In addition, the pooled estimates of OR in smokers were statistically significant (OR = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.13 to 3.86).

Conclusions: The findings of the present study reveal that occupational exposure to silica may be associated with increased risk of developing RA.

Keywords: Meta-analysis; Occupation; Rheumatoid arthritis; Silica exposure.

Publication types

Review