Relationship between chest X-ray findings and pulmonary function tests in dust workers.
Occupational injuries are decreasing due to the improvement in occupational management in the workplace in recent years. However, pneumoconiosis and its complications remain important occupational diseases. Based on the report 'survey on classification for supervision of pneumoconiosis in Japan' performed in 1994, this study compared age, number of years at the job and pulmonary function tests among work types, and examined the characteristics of cases in which pulmonary function results were worse than expected from the chest X-ray findings. In the comparison among work types, mean age was higher and %VC was lower among workers exposed to silica or asbestos, and FEV1.0% appeared to be lower among silica-exposed workers. Multiple regression analysis showed that silica or asbestos-exposed work environments strongly affected %VC. Some cases showed dissociation between the X-ray findings and pulmonary function tests, which appeared to be caused by certain types of work environments. In this study, all the subjects had findings of pneumoconiosis in their chest X-ray. It is necessary to perform a longitudinal survey on pneumoconiosis-free subjects to clarify the precise association of lung function tests with chest X-ray.
Tonori
Yoko
Y
Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 228-8555, Japan.
Niitsuya
Masato
M
Sato
Toshihiko
T
Sugiura
Yumiko
Y
Miyake
Hitoshi
H
Aizawa
Yoshiharu
Y
D001194:Asbestos / Q000633:toxicity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004391:Dust; D005540:Forced Expiratory Flow Rates; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008168:Lung / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis / Q000517:prevention & control; D011009:Pneumoconiosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology; D011859:Radiography; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000633:toxicity; D014797:Vital Capacity
D004391:Dust; D001194:Asbestos; D012822:Silicon Dioxide