Abstract
A total of 1,145 cases of occupation-related diseases in 951 workers were reported in the Czech Republic in 2019. Of these, 1,067 were occupational diseases and 78 cases were given the status of "endangerment by an occupational disease".
The incidence of occupational diseases was 24.2 cases per 100,000 health insured employees in the public sector. Most of the occupational diseases occurred in the Moravian-Silesian region (377 cases, i.e. 32.9%).
Most of the recognized cases occurred in the economic sector "manufacture of motor vehicles" (142 cases, i.e. 12.4%). Carpal tunnel syndrome (307 cases, i.e. 28.8%) and contact allergic dermatitis (131 cases, i.e. 12.3%) were the most frequently reported occupational diseases.
The carpal tunnel syndrome predominated also among the cases reported as "endangerment by an occupational disease" (65 cases, i.e. 83.3%). Many diseases are undoubtedly underdiagnosed and underreported, for example, extrinsic allergic alveolitis, humerus epicondylitis or ovarian, larynx, lung cancer or mesothelioma caused by asbestos.
This may be due to a non-specific clinical picture, unfamiliarity with criteria for recognition of an occupational disease, and/or long latency to the disease appearance.