[Macroscopic subtypes of asbestosis in relation to the amount of asbestos in 63 Japanese autopsy cases].

ABSTRACT

Atelectatic induration (AI) and honeycombing (HNCB) are two distinct macroscopic features of asbestosis. The current study was undertaken to clarify whether or not there might be a relation between the macroscopic type of asbestosis and burden of asbestos fibers in the lung. The material (N = 63) derived from 58 autopsies and 5 surgically removed lungs with lung cancers, which comprised 22 cases of AI (mean age 67 years 20 males and 2 females) and 41 cases of HNCB (mean age 66 years 38 men and 3 women) types of asbestosis, respectively. The quantification of asbestos bodies (AB) and fibers (AF) was carried out using Kohyama's method. The AI type showed 260,000 +/- 460,000 AB per 1g of wet lung and 920,000 +/- 1,360,000 AF per 1g of dry lung, whereas HNCB showed 44,000 +/- 93,000 AB and 200,000 +/- 490,000 AF, respectively. These differences were statistically significant between the types of asbestosis (p < 0.01). Diffuse pleural thickening and upper lobe involvement were more advanced in the AI type and the differences were statistically significant between subtypes (p < 0.05). In conclusion, asbestos load is considered to be a factor related to the macroscopic subtype of asbestosis.