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Effects of waterproof covering on hand immersion tests using water at 10 degrees C, 12 degrees C and 15 degrees C for diagnosis of hand-arm vibration syndrome.

OBJECTIVES
To compare effects of waterproof covering on finger skin temperature (FST) and subjective hand pain during immersion tests using cold water at 10 degrees C, 12 degrees C and 15 degrees C. In the (Draft International Standard) of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO/DIS 14835-1), a water temperature of 12 degrees C and use of water covering are proposed.


METHODS
Six healthy male subjects took part in the immersion tests and immersed both hands into water at 10 degrees C, 12 degrees C and 15 degrees C for 5 min, repeatedly, with waterproof covering (polyethylene gloves) or without (bare hands). The FST data from middle fingers and subjective pain scores for hand pain were analyzed. Furthermore, the test with water at 12 degrees C was repeated to assess the repeatability of the test.


RESULTS
The glove and water temperature factors for FST were significant at every minute from 1 min during immersion up to 2 min after recovery, showing higher values for waterproof covering than for bare hands and showing lowest values for water temperature of 10 degrees C and highest for 15 degrees C. The glove and water temperature factors for subjective pain score were significant at the 1-min and 2-min points during immersion, showing lower scores for waterproof covering than for bare hands and showing highest scores for water temperature of 10 degrees C and lowest for 15 degrees C. The results of the first and second tests using water of 12 degrees C showed no systematic difference in FST and hand pain between the tests, with a few exceptions.


CONCLUSIONS
Subjective pain during the cold immersion test with polyethylene gloves and water at 12 degrees C can be reduced, while the differences in FST between water temperatures of 10 degrees C and 12 degrees C were small or not apparent at some points during immersion and recovery. The test also seems to be suitable for repeatability. Further investigation on hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) patients to validate the use of the immersion test with gloves to obtain sufficient data for diagnostic value is required.