title: Hypoxemia: an early indication of pigeon breeders' disease. Clinical and laboratory findings among pigeon breeders in the Salonica area.
abstract: The purpose of this study is to identify pathological findings among pigeon breeders in the Salonica area. Fifty-four volunteer breeders with varying intensity of contact with pigeons participated in the study. All the breeders, after filling in a questionnaire that included questions about the existence of conjunctivitis, rhinitis, chronic cough and sputum, were subjected to clinical examination and spirometric, hematological (arterial and venous), radiographic and immunologic tests. Twenty-five point nine percent of the breeders suffered from conjunctivitis, 31.5% from rhinitis and 33.3% from chronic cough and sputum. Fourteen point eight percent of them had class I precipitins, 7.4% had class II, 5.6% had class III and 16.7% had class IV and a positive correlation of precipitin class with the number of pigeons bred was found. Seven breeders (13%) had hypoxemia at rest and other 8 (14.8%) presented with hypoxemia after the exercise testing. Two breeders presented with a combination of findings of allergic alveolitis that satisfied the criteria of the Pigeon Breeders' Disease (PBD). A substantial number of the examined pigeon breeders were sensitized to pigeon serum antigens. Arterial hypoxemia, either at rest and/or after exercise was observed in 27.8% of breeders. Three point seven percent of breeders presented with clinical and laboratory findings consistent with PBD. Chronic cough and sputum in pigeon breeders should be considered as a possible manifestation of PBD.
authors.affiliation: Pulmonary Clinic, Aristotle's University of Thessalonica Laboratory for the Investigation of Environmental Diseases Exochi, Thessalonica, Greece.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Charitopoulos
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gioulekas
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sichletidis
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chloros
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vamvakopoulou
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zarogoulidis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000485:Allergens / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001716:Bird Fancier's Lung / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010856:Columbidae; D003233:Conjunctivitis, Allergic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D003371:Cough / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005080:Exercise Test; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D013147:Spirometry; D013183:Sputum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D014797:Vital Capacity
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D007074:Immunoglobulin G