{
  "abstract": "ObjectivesTo estimate the prevalence of objective peripheral neuropathy, and to test whether self-reported use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is associated with lower neuropathy risk, among adults attending a community hospital in a Nigerian population exposed to both agrochemicals and mining.\n\nDesignClinic-based cross-sectional study (June-November 2025), reported per STROBE.\n\nSettingInfant Jesus Community Hospital, Ishiagu, Ebonyi State, a community combining smallholder farming with granite and lead-zinc mining.\n\nParticipants285 adults ([≥]18 years) attending the outpatient screening department; people with known diabetes were excluded.\n\nMain outcome measuresPeripheral neuropathy on the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI) examination -- an instrument validated in diabetic populations -- defined a priori as an abnormal 10 g monofilament test or absent/reduced ankle reflexes; three alternative case definitions were pre-specified. PPE use was scored 0-12. Associations were estimated by multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age and sex.\n\nResultsThe proportion screening positive was 47.0% (95% CI 41.2-52.8) under the primary definition and ranged from 29.8% to 56.8% across definitions. PPE use was near-absent (89.1% never used gloves; 43.2% used none) and showed no detectable protective association (adjusted OR 0.97 per point, 95% CI 0.88-1.06). Men used PPE more than twice as often as women (55.1% vs 24.5%, p<0.001), yet neuropathy did not differ by sex (41.6% vs 49.5%, p=0.27). Only age was associated with neuropathy (adjusted OR 1.02 per year, p=0.02).\n\nConclusionsNearly half of the adults sampled screened positive for peripheral neuropathy, and protective equipment showed no detectable protective association. Because PPE use was near-absent, the study cannot separate ineffective protection from too little protection to measure, and the cross-sectional design precludes causal inference. The equal burden across sexes despite markedly unequal protective behaviour is consistent with community-wide environmental exposure; reducing the total toxic load is a plausible priority that direct exposure measurement should now test.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "DAVID UMAHI FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCE"
  ],
  "article_type": "PUBLISHAHEADOFPRINT",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "S. I. Abanni"
    },
    {
      "name": "C. Adache"
    },
    {
      "name": "B. M. Ekure"
    },
    {
      "name": "J. Omotosho"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7hm0ccr21ba92.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.09.21.26363549",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.21.26363549v1.full",
  "id": "7hm0ccr21ba92",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.21.26363549v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "medrxiv",
      "public and global health"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1110|Pesticide Exposure and Toxicity"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214073481",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.21.26363549v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-21",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7hm0ccr21ba92.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:14Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.09.21.26363549",
      "source": "medrxiv",
      "url": "https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.21.26363549v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "medrxiv:public and global health",
      "subfield": "epidemiology-public-health"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Objective peripheral neuropathy and protective-equipment use in a farming community in a lead-zinc mining district of south-eastern Nigeria: a cross-sectional study",
  "title_text": "Objective peripheral neuropathy and protective-equipment use in a farming community in a lead-zinc mining district of south-eastern Nigeria: a cross-sectional study",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:14Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/7hm0ccr21ba92",
  "venue": "medRxiv",
  "versions": []
}