Cardiovascular and metabolic changes in Brazilian truck drivers.

Objective: To identify the relationship between the Ankle Brachial Index (ABI) and the presence of cardio-metabolic diseases, alcohol, and tobacco abuse among truck drivers.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach carried out with 235 truck drivers. Demographic, professional, clinical, alcohol, and tobacco abuse data were collected through interviews. The Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) instrument was used for this study. An odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) adjusted for logistic regression were used for the association between variables. The Spearman's test was used to correlate quantitative variables. The significance level used was α = 0.05.

Results: The sample consisted of 235 truck drivers, all males, with an average age of 42.4 years, married (69.8%), self-reported white skin color (43.4%). ABI values equal to or less than 0.89 were identified in 38.7% of truck drivers. Tobacco abuse appeared in 18.5% of participants, and alcohol abuse was present in 8.9% of truck drivers according to the ASSIST rating. The most commonly found self-reported cardiometabolic diseases were obesity (29%), systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) (21.7%), and diabetes mellitus (DM) (10.6%). Those with altered ABI had 5.65 times the odds to have self-reported diabetes mellitus (95% CI 2.20-14.52; p = 0.0003), 2.86 times the odds to present alcohol abuse (95% CI 1.03-7.97; p = 0.0400), 3.03 times the odds to have edema (95% CI 1.25-7.36; p = 0.0144) and 5.10 times the odds to have varicose veins in the lower limbs (95% CI 2.22-11.73; p = 0.0001) compared to those with normal ABI values.

Conclusion: Truck drivers have changes in the ABI which are associated with long working hours, alcohol abuse and the presence of diabetes mellitus.