Abstract
Objective To investigate the effects of occupational noise exposure on disease control and psychological status in patients with diabetic nephropathy. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 306 patients with diabetic nephropathy who visited the Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University between January 2022 and January 2024. The patients were divided into two groups based on their occupational noise exposure level as follows: Group A (noise level ≥55 dB, 148 cases) and Group B (noise level <55 dB, 158 cases). The general information, noise exposure levels, glycaemic indicators [glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), 2-hour postprandial plasma glucose (2hPG), glycated serum protein (GSP)], renal function indicators [blood urea nitrogen (BUN), urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER), serum creatinine (SCr), 24-hour urinary protein (24hUP)] and psychological status [Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS)] were compared between Groups A and B. Univariate analysis was performed using Pearson correlation analysis. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed in age, gender and body mass index between the two groups (P > 0.05). However, glycaemic indicators such as HbA1c, FPG, PBG, GSP; renal function indicators such as BUN, UAER, SCr, 24hUP and psychological status (SAS and SDS scores) in Group A were significantly higher than those in Group B (P < 0.05). A significantly positive association was found between noise levels with SDS score (r = 0.321), FPG (r = 0.320) and UAER level (r = 0.405) (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study reveals that occupational noise exposure negatively impacts disease control and psychological status in patients with diabetic nephropathy. Therefore, focusing on noise control in clinical practice is essential.