1. [Occupational exposure to respiratory irritants and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].
- Author
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Quintavalle S, Mazzetti L, Zeni E, Lo Cascio N, Leprotti S, Ballerin L, Potena A, Mapp CE, De Rosa E, and Boschetto P
- Subjects
- Aged, Cell Count, Female, Humans, Male, Metalloproteases analysis, Neutrophils, Occupational Diseases diagnosis, Occupational Diseases physiopathology, Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive diagnostic imaging, Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive physiopathology, Pulmonary Emphysema diagnosis, Pulmonary Emphysema diagnostic imaging, Pulmonary Emphysema etiology, Pulmonary Emphysema physiopathology, Radiography, Thoracic, Respiratory Function Tests, Risk Factors, Smoking adverse effects, Sputum cytology, Sputum enzymology, Time Factors, Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 analysis, Tomography, X-Ray Computed, Irritants adverse effects, Occupational Diseases etiology, Occupational Exposure adverse effects, Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive etiology
- Abstract
Cigarette smoking and occupational exposure to respiratory irritants are the major riskfactors for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is characterized by small-airway obstruction and destruction of pulmonary parenchyma: emphysema. We studied two groups of subjects: one exposed and the other one not-exposed to respiratory irritants, to investigate the relationship, if any, between occupational exposure and COPD. Subjects underwent high-resolution computed tomography-density mask of the chest to quantify pulmonary emphysema, pulmonary function tests, sputum induction and analysis for cell counts and measurements of metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and its tissue inhibitor TIMP-1. Subjects with occupational exposure to respiratory irritants had higher residual volume and functional residual capacity, higher total inflammatory cells and neutrophils in induced sputum. By contrast, sputum levels of MMP-9, TIMP-1 and MMP-91TIMP-1 ratio did not differ between the 2 groups. We conclude that sputum induction and analysis could be a useful and non-invasive tool to study and follow subjects with occupational exposure to respiratory irritants.
- Published
- 2005