Current approaches of personalized medicine to assessing the health status of workers engaged in shift work in the Arctic

Introduction. Scientific research convincingly proves the presence of a complex of harmful and dangerous natural, climatic and professional risk factors at Arctic production sites.

The study aim is to scientifically substantiate the criteria for assessing the individual susceptibility of a shift worker to the hazardous effects of polar stress.

Materials and methods. The object of the study was risk factors associated with the adverse effects of polar stress, as well as workers engaged in shift work in the Arctic. At the 1^st stage of the study, 87 workers were examined using the case-control method. At the 2^nd stage of the study, a systematic analysis of the results of 12 epidemiological studies was carried out.

Results. The population relative risk of developing arterial hypertension in shift workers was R=1.2 (1.1–1.5), (p<0.05) with an average Arctic work experience of 6.18+3.0 years. The results of research made it possible to determine the criteria for assessing the phenogenetic determinants that modify the risk of health disorders associated with stress-induced changes. Based on the principles of comorbidity, a methodology has been developed for quantitatively assessing the risk of individual susceptibility to the hazardous effects of polar stress. A list of health disorders has been determined, the occurrence, severity of the clinical course and outcomes of which are etiologically and pathogenetically associated with stress. This list includes 12 classes of diseases.

Limitations. The small sample size and participation of only men of working age in the study are limitations of this study. The proposed methodology for predictive assessment of the individual susceptibility is limited to exposure conditions related to the category of hazardous, which can lead to a sudden sharp deterioration in health or death in the first 10 days of a 30-day shift or on the 40 or 55 days of an extended shift.

Conclusions. The results of the studies prove the validity of the widespread use of diagnostic criteria of personalized medicine in a set of preventive measures aimed at increasing the effectiveness of pre-shift medical examinations of workers engaged in work in the Arctic.

Ethics. The study was conducted in compliance with the norms of biomedical ethics in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and the relevant GPT (Good Clinical Practice) standards. The protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Tyumen Cardiology Research Center (No. 183 06.02.2023).

Contributions:
Chashchin M.V. — concept and design, introduction of fundamental changes, writing the text, editing;
Samoilova E.P. — study design, statistical data processing, writing the text;
Gapon L.I. — significant contribution to the concept and structure of the study, approval of the final version;
Torki E.V. — collection and processing of material, statistical data processing, writing the text, editing;
Aleksandrovich E.L. — collection and processing of material, statistical data processing;
Umanskaya D.I. — collection and processing of material;
Levitsky B.I. — significant contribution to the structure of the analysis;
Zelenkin A.V. — collection and processing of material.

Funding. The study had no funding.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Received: 07.08.2025 / Accepted: 14.08.2025 / Published: 05.10.2025

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