Occupational Asthma Reference
|
Barnhart S, Hudson LD, Mason SE, Pierson DJ, Rosenstock L,
Total lung capacity. An insensitive measure of impairment in patients with asbestosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?,
Chest,
1988;93:299-302,
|
|
|
Keywords: pft, asbestosis, asbestos, ob, CXR
Known Authors
If you would like to become a known author and have your picture displayed along with your papers then please get in touch from the contact page. Known authors can choose to receive emails when their papers receive comments.
Abstract
The total lung capacity (TLC) is frequently used as a measure of respiratory impairment in patients with asbestosis. Because asbestosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exert opposite effects on the TLC, it may be an insensitive measure of impairment in patients with both abnormalities. To assess this, we compared asbestos-exposed patients with functional evidence of COPD and radiographic evidence of interstitial fibrosis (group 1) to those with interstitial fibrosis alone (group 2). Despite the two groups being comparable in degree of radiographic "fibrosis," no case of restrictive impairment (reduced TLC) was identified among those with both interstitial fibrosis and COPD (group 1), compared to 33 percent of those with interstitial fibrosis alone (group 2). In addition, those patients with both interstitial fibrosis and COPD, compared to those with interstitial fibrosis alone, were found to have greater impairment as measured by alveolar-arterial oxygen difference and diffusing capacity. We conclude that the TLC is an insensitive measure of impairment due to asbestosis in patients with the common setting of coexistent asbestosis and COPD
Full Text
Full text of this reference not available
Please Log In or Register to add the full text to this reference
Comments
Please sign in or register to add your thoughts.