RESUMO
AIM: To study effects of occupational vibrations on the myocardium, to elucidate early alterations in cardiac performance and to introduce approaches to their correction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Doppler echocardiography was made to evaluate diastolic function of the heart ventricles in 54 men with vibration disease. Mean exposure to local vibration was 22.4 years. The examinees were divided into two groups: 42 men (mean age 46.8 years) with vibration disease of the first degree--group 1; 12 men (mean age 51.2 years) of the first-second and second degree--group 2. RESULTS: In group 2 compared to group 1 there was a decrease of maximal velocity of early filling (MVEF) by 24.2%, early filling phase (EFP) by 27%, ratio MVEF/MVLF 1.17-fold, increase of isometric relation phase by 15.9%. For the right ventricle there was a decrease in MVEF by 15.4%, MVEF/MVLF 1.51-fold, prolongation of EFP by 20%. By these indices, the groups differed significantly in the diseases severity. Trimetasidine had a corrective effect on diastolic function of both left and right ventricles of the heart. CONCLUSION: Patients with vibration disease were diagnosed to have left and right ventricular diastolic dysfunction.