Source: Annual Congress 2002 - Asbestos and silica
Disease area: Airway diseases, Sleep and breathing disorders

Abstract

We studied 148 workers (69.9 ±] 8.0 yrs) with previous occupational exposure to asbestos (OEAsb). In 123 (69.4 ±] 7.9 yrs) out of them the smoking habit (88 subjects were ex- or current S whereas the 35 others were NS) as well as the time of OEAsb (24.6 ±] 12.2 yrs; 1 to 43 yrs range) were obtained. We measured: ABG (PaO2 and PaCO2), vital capacity (VC), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expired volume in 1 second (FEV1), total lung capacity (TLC), residual volume (RV), RV/TLC ratio (RV/TLC). In 99 subjects the carbon monoxide lung diffusion (Dl,CO) has been measured. Comparison between S and NS showed no difference (p>0.05) in age, OEAsb history, ABG, VC and the FVC. Conversely S showed a FEV1 (91.9% ±] 19.8) and a FEV1/VC (70.1% ±] 9.2) lower (p<0.05) than in NS (98.1% ±] 16.1, 75.6% ±] 8.2, respectively). The S had a TLC (98.8% ±] 12.6), a RV (107.7% ±] 30.9), a RV/TLC (43.2% ±] 9.2) and a FRC (103.5% ±] 21.3) higher (p<0.05) than in NS (93.7% ±] 15.8, 95.4% ±] 25.2, 39.3% ±] 7.2, and 94.5% + 22.1 respectively). In S (74 subjects) the DLCO (98.5% ±] 21.5) resulted lower (p<0.05) than that (107.8% ±] 30.3) measured in NS (25 subjects). The number of subjects with an obstructive syndrome (FEV1/VC<70%), hypoxemia (PaO2<80 mmHg) or hypercapnia (PaCO2>45 mmHg) was higher (p<0.05) in S (34, (38.6%); 34, (38.6%); 6, (6.8%) respectively) than in NS (6, (17.1%); 7, (20.0%); 1, (2.9%) respectively). The number of subjects with a restrictive syndrome (TLC<80%) was similar (p>0.05) in S (7, (7,9%)) and NS (4, (11.4%)). Conclusions: 1) the OEAsb does not appear as a main risk factor for LFT and ABG abnormalities; 2) in workers with exposure to occupational pollutants the smoking habit accounts for the occurrence of chronic airway obstruction.

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Citations should be made in the following way:
M. Grazzini, A. Sanna, A. Fabbri, F. Vannucci, M. Guerrini, F. Innocenti (Pistoia, Italy). Lung function tests (LFT) and arterial blood gases (ABG) in smoker (S) and non-smoker (NS) workers with occupational exposure to asbestos. Eur Respir J 2002; 20: Suppl. 38, 845

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