Longitudinal decline in lung function in former asbestos exposed workers.

BACKGROUND: This study was designed to assess the effect of asbestos exposure on longitudinal lung function decline. METHODS: A group of 502 former asbestos-cement workers with at least two spirometry tests 4 years apart. Repeated evaluations included respiratory symptoms questionnaire, spirometry and chest imaging. Asbestos exposure was ascertained as years of exposure, an index of cumulative exposure and latency time. The mixed effects model was used to evaluate the effect of exposure on the level and rate of change in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV(1)) and forced vital capacity (FVC). RESULTS: Mean age at entry was 51 (SD 9.9) years, mean latency time 25.6 (SD 10.0) years, mean follow-up time 9.1 (SD 2.8) years and mean number of spirometry tests 3.5. The FEV(1) level was significantly related to pack-years of smoking at entry and during the follow-up, the index of cumulative asbestos exposure at entry, and the presence of asbestosis at follow-up. The FVC level was significantly related to pack-years of smoking during the follow-up, cumulative asbestos exposure at entry, asbestosis and pleural thickening at follow-up, and body mass index at entry. Asbestos exposure was not associated with increasing rates of FEV(1) and FVC decline. However, FEV(1) regression slopes with age, estimated by terciles of cumulative exposure, showed significant differences. Combined effects of smoking and exposure conferred further acceleration in lung function decline. CONCLUSIONS: Occupational exposure in asbestos-cement industry was a risk factor for increased lung function decline. The effect seems to be mostly concentrated during the working period. Smoking and exposure had synergic effects.

Doenças asbesto-relacionadas / Asbestos-related diseases

Apresenta-se uma revisão bibliográfica das doenças asbesto-relacionadas. São discutidos e atualizados os critérios diagnósticos, as características radiológicas, tomográficas e funcionais das alterações benignas de pleura, da asbestose, do câncer de pulmão ocupacional e do mesotelioma maligno de pleura.

This chapter presents a bibliographic review of asbestos-related diseases. The latest diagnostic, radiological, computed tomography and lung function aspects of benign pleural disease, asbestosis, occupational lung cancer and mesothelioma are discussed.

[Asbestos-related diseases]. / Doenças asbesto-relacionadas.

This chapter presents a bibliographic review of asbestos-related diseases. The latest diagnostic, radiological, computed tomography and lung function aspects of benign pleural disease, asbestosis, occupational lung cancer and mesothelioma are discussed.

Occupational asthma in the city of São Paulo, 1995-2000, with special reference to gender analysis.

BACKGROUND: Occupational asthma (OA) is the leading occupational respiratory disease in the area of São Paulo Municipality. Understanding its characteristics can provide useful information for better interventions. METHODS: From a joint registry of OA from five outpatient public clinics for occupational respiratory diseases, data on occupation, with job titles corrected by an expert evaluation, agents, exposure and symptom duration, and spirometry were analyzed by gender. Data on employment for São Paulo Municipality were used to calculate expected ratios for men/women in broad economical sectors. RESULTS: Three hundred and ninety four OA cases were reported with a ratio of men/women of 1.5. Women had significantly shorter exposure duration (5.6 +/- 5.2 vs. 8.9 +/- 9.0 years, P = 0.0005), shorter symptoms duration (2.6 +/- 3.7 vs. 3.2 +/- 3.5 years, P = 0.1270), and higher prevalence of previous atopy (27.0 vs. 18.4%, P = 0.0485). The main occupations related to OA cases were cleaning activities, working in plastics manufacture and in chemical and pharmaceutical plants. Women reported significantly more exposures to cleaning products, biologic agents, and textile fibers, whereas men reported more exposures to isocyanates, metal dusts and fumes, oil mists, wood dusts and anhydrides. Women presented an increased risk of OA in the service sector (odds ratio (OR) = 1.77, confidence interval (CI) = 1.61-1.96). CONCLUSIONS: Cleaning services was the main reported occupation and cleaning products the main reported agents. Women had significantly shorter exposure duration possibly due to difference in exposures, previous atopy, and behavior. There was an excess of cases of women in the service sector.

Doença Pleural em trabalhadores da indústria de cimento-amianto / Asbestos-related pleural diseases in asbestos-cement workers

Objetivo: Avaliar 828 ex-trabalhadores expostos ao asbesto quanto aos índices de exposiçäo,l diagnóstico por imagem e alteraçöes clínicas e funcionais, comparando os portadores de espessamento pleural aos näo portadores. Métodos: Foram realizadas anamnese ocupacional, questionário de sintomas respiratórios, espirometria, Rx de tórax e tomografia computadorizada de tórax de alta resoluçäo (TCAR). Foi adotado, na TCAR, critério similar ao Rx de tórax (ILO-1980) para medir extensäo e largura do espessamento pleural. Foi criado um escore, variando de 0-3, de acordo com a soma da extensäo em ambos os hemitóraces. Resultados: 246 (29,7 por cento) trabalhadores apresentavam espessamento pleural. Eles tiveram índices de exposiçäo significativamente maiores. Com a TCAR como padräo-ouro, o Rx de tórax mostrou sensibilidade de 74 por cento e especificidade de 85,7 por cento, com 16,7 por cento dos casos falso-positivos devidos à gordura extrapleural e 82,8 por cento dos falso-negativos representados por pequenos espessamentos na TCAR. O grupo com espessamento pleural teve médias inferiores de capacidade vital forçada (CVF) e volume expiratório forçado (VEF1). Modelos de regressäo linear múltipla para determinaçäo da CVF e do VEF1 incluíram espessamento pleural como variável independente significativa. Modelo de regressäo logística para determinaçäo da dispnéia mostrou o espessamento pleural como variável independente signifcativa (OR=1,30; IC=1,24-2,01). Conclusöes: Conclui-se que a extensäo do espessamento representa uma boa estimativa de exposiçäo, havendo uma correlaçäo entre os escores de espessamento e os índices de exposiçäo. O Rx mostrou sensibilidade maior que a descrita na literatura e boa especificidade. As relaçöes entre espessamento pleural, dispnéia e alteraçöes funcionais permitem sua classificaçäo como doença ocupacional.

O exercicio da medicina do trabalho como especialidade apos a conclusao do curso de especializacao / The practice of occupational medicine as a specialty after graduation at a specialization course

Para avaliar o aproveitamento do Curso de Especializacao do trabalho da Faculdade de Ciencias Medicas da Santa Casa de Sao Paulo foi elaborado um questionario composto de 14 questoes e enviado para 575 ex-alunos. As questoes visavam avaliar o numero de ex-alunos que naquele ano estavam empregados como Medicos do Trabalho...