(Reuters) — Workplace exposure to vapors, gas, dust and fumes increases the likelihood that a CT scan will show early signs of disease in the lung tissue, according to a U.S. study.
“Interstitial lung disease is a family of over 100 diseases each characterized by inflammation and/or scarring (fibrosis) in the walls of the air sacs (alveoli) of the lungs,” said study coauthor Dr. David Lederer, who co-directs the Interstitial Lung Disease Program at Columbia University Medical Center in New York.
The causes of interstitial lung disease (ILD) are often unclear.
"Our research group has been studying the causes of the earliest changes in the lungs that precede the development of clinically evident (symptomatic) ILD,” Mr. Lederer said in an email interview.
ILDs include “black lung” from working in coal mines, asbestosis from asbestos exposure and pulmonary sarcoidosis, Mr. Lederer noted. “Other examples include ILD resulting from autoimmune conditions such as scleroderma and rheumatoid arthritis, and ILD resulting from exposure to mold in the home or workplace.”
To get a sense of what role workplace exposures might play in changes that are visible on a lung scan, but may not yet produce symptoms, researchers analyzed data from a large study of cardiovascular disease in adults in six cities: Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and St. Paul, Minnesota and Winston Salem, North Carolina.
The 5,702 study participants had chest CT scans at the start of the study and again six years later. They also reported their work exposure to vapors, gas, dust and fumes, and the researchers drew exposure estimates from data created by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
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“Interstitial lung disease is a family of over 100 diseases each characterized by inflammation and/or scarring (fibrosis) in the walls of the air sacs (alveoli) of the lungs,” said study coauthor Dr. David Lederer, who co-directs the Interstitial Lung Disease Program at Columbia University Medical Center in New York.
The causes of interstitial lung disease (ILD) are often unclear.
"Our research group has been studying the causes of the earliest changes in the lungs that precede the development of clinically evident (symptomatic) ILD,” Mr. Lederer said in an email interview.
ILDs include “black lung” from working in coal mines, asbestosis from asbestos exposure and pulmonary sarcoidosis, Mr. Lederer noted. “Other examples include ILD resulting from autoimmune conditions such as scleroderma and rheumatoid arthritis, and ILD resulting from exposure to mold in the home or workplace.”
To get a sense of what role workplace exposures might play in changes that are visible on a lung scan, but may not yet produce symptoms, researchers analyzed data from a large study of cardiovascular disease in adults in six cities: Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and St. Paul, Minnesota and Winston Salem, North Carolina.
The 5,702 study participants had chest CT scans at the start of the study and again six years later. They also reported their work exposure to vapors, gas, dust and fumes, and the researchers drew exposure estimates from data created by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
Read the Full Article by Thomson Reuters on Business Insurance HERE.