Analysis of occupational morbidity in Latvia in comparison with European countries

Objectives of the study is to analyze occupational morbidity in Latvia during a 23-years period and to compare with occupational morbidity in member countries of the Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being (NDPHS). The analysis of occupational diseases (OD) and patients revealed for the first time during a year according to the data from the Latvian State Registry of Occupational Diseases (OD) for 23 years period 1996 – 2019 was performed. Numbers of new cases of OD and patients were recalculated per 100 000 employees. Data on OD in the NDPHS countries were obtained from EU Prevention Reporting of Work – Related Diseases and OD (2018). The number OD patients and diseases revealed for the first time during a year has been gradually increasing since 1996 until 2019. The number of first – time registered OD patients per 100 000 employees was 11.5 in 1996 and 196.6 in 2019. Number of newly revealed OD patients in 2019 exceeded that of 1996 by 17.0 times, but number of first time registered OD by 29.7 times. There is a wide variation of reported OD in the participating countries. OM rates in 2016 were highest in Latvia, followed by Norway and Finland. The lowest rates were in Russian Federation and Poland. There are a variation in diagnosis of recognized OD. Musculoskeletal diseases is the leading group of diseases followed by diseases of the nervous system and sensory organs, among them, carpal tunnel syndrome and hearing loss. It should be noted that during the last years, occupation morbidity tends to decrease in developed EU countries, while it is still increasing in Latvia.