[Life quality as an additional criterion to evaluate efficacy of treating vibration disease patients].

Studies covered as an additional criterion to evaluate efficiency of treating vibration disease patients. Studies covered life quality in 40 males having vibration disease during the treatment course. Before the treatment, all the examinees demonstrated decrease in all life quality parameters especially of "role physical functioning" (16.89 points), general health (38.39 points), role emotional functioning (39.64 points). After the treatment most the parameters reliably improved, besides physical and social functioning. The authors recommend SF-36 life quality questionnaire to evaluate treatment efficiency for occupational diseases.

[Ventilatory and gas exchange functions of the lungs in occupational and other pulmonary diseases].

AIM: To study lung ventilation and gas exchange in interstitional and obstructive diseases of dust-induced and non-occupational origin for correction of pulmonary diseases. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Diffuse lung capacity (Erich Jaeger unit) and biomechanical properties of the ventilation system (total plethysmography on the bodyplethysmograph made by Erich Jaeger) were investigated in 132 patients including 87 with occupational dust-induced pulmonary diseases (pneumoconiosis, dust bronchitis, exogenic allergic alveolitis, bronchial asthma) and 45 patients with non-occupational diseases: sarcoidosis (n = 28), exogenic allergic alveolitis (n = 10) and bronchial asthma (n = 7). RESULTS: The changes were of the same type but different severity. Diffuse capacity was subnormal in all the groups, most of all in patients with exogenic allergic alveolitis and sarcoidosis of stage 2-4. In patients with occupational diseases DLCO was reduced, residual volume, total lung capacity were elevated, they had hypoxemia. CONCLUSION: The changes in patients with dust-induced diseases of the lungs may be interpreted primarily as disorders of distribution, imbalance between ventilation and perfusion. Diffusion disorders in patients with alveolitis and sarcoidosis correlated with changes in alveolar-capillary membrane.

[Value of new laser technologies in occupational diseases diagnostics].

The article deals with results of microhemodynamics assessment through new methods of noninvasive laser diagnostics--doppler flowmetry and spectrophotometry ("Spectrotest" device)--in vibration disease patients to verify origin of angiodystonic and angiospastic syndromes. The methods enable to define type of microcirculatory disorder, to evaluate quantity of revealed changes, to assess blood content of superficial tissues in fingers, blood oxygenation. Spastic type of microcirculation is indicative to include ACF inhibitors into treatment complex.

[Principles of rehabilitation in major occupational diseases].

The article deals with personal experience and literature data, basing recommendations on rehabilitation of patients with occupational diseases. Rehabilitation measures include better work conditions, job placement of individuals in whom the disease was not caused by etiology factor, rehabilitation through medical and nonmedical measures.