[Occupational exposure to respiratory irritants and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].
Cigarette smoking and occupational exposure to respiratory irritants are the major riskfactors for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is characterized by small-airway obstruction and destruction of pulmonary parenchyma: emphysema. We studied two groups of subjects: one exposed and the other one not-exposed to respiratory irritants, to investigate the relationship, if any, between occupational exposure and COPD. Subjects underwent high-resolution computed tomography-density mask of the chest to quantify pulmonary emphysema, pulmonary function tests, sputum induction and analysis for cell counts and measurements of metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and its tissue inhibitor TIMP-1. Subjects with occupational exposure to respiratory irritants had higher residual volume and functional residual capacity, higher total inflammatory cells and neutrophils in induced sputum. By contrast, sputum levels of MMP-9, TIMP-1 and MMP-91TIMP-1 ratio did not differ between the 2 groups. We conclude that sputum induction and analysis could be a useful and non-invasive tool to study and follow subjects with occupational exposure to respiratory irritants.
Quintavalle
S
S
Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Sezione di Igiene e Medicina del Lavoro, Università di Ferrara. bsp@unife.it
Mazzetti
L
L
Zeni
E
E
Lo Cascio
N
N
Leprotti
S
S
Ballerin
L
L
Potena
A
A
Mapp
C E
CE
De Rosa
E
E
Boschetto
P
P
D000368:Aged; D002452:Cell Count; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007509:Irritants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D045726:Metalloproteases / Q000032:analysis; D009504:Neutrophils; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011656:Pulmonary Emphysema / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D013183:Sputum / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology; D013997:Time Factors; D019715:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 / Q000032:analysis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D007509:Irritants; D019715:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1; D045726:Metalloproteases