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Immunological findings and respiratory function in cotton textile workers
- Source :
- International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. 64:31-37
- Publication Year :
- 1992
- Publisher :
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 1992.
-
Abstract
- Immunological parameters were studied in a group of 24 cotton textile workers. These were volunteers from a cohort of 106 (83 women and 23 men) previously studied textile workers. A group of 30 employees from a bottle packing plant served as a control for the immunologic studies. The subgroup of volunteers undergoing immunologic testing did not differ from the original cohort of textile workers in age, sex, smoking history, or prevalence of most chronic respiratory symptoms, nor were there any significant differences in baseline lung function or across-shift changes. The 24 cotton worker volunteers underwent skin testing with extracts of cotton dust and cotton seed. Eight of these 24 (33.3%) had positive tests, and 5 of the 8 had elevated serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels. Only one of the 8 skin-test-positive workers had symptoms of byssinosis. Only 1 of 30 control workers' skin tested with cotton extract reacted, and none had an increased serum IgE level (P less than 0.01). Both baseline lung function and across-shift changes did not differ between workers with positive and negative skin test reactions or between workers with normal and elevated IgE levels. Additionally, we studied the response in vitro of nonsensitized guinea pig trachea to cotton bract extract and demonstrated a dose-dependent contractile response. These data suggest that while immunological findings are frequent in textile workers, they correlate poorly with respiratory symptoms and function and may not be the basis for the airway obstruction seen in this disease.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Male
Byssinosis
Allergy
Respiratory Tract Diseases
Vital Capacity
Physiology
Air Pollutants, Occupational
Immunoglobulin E
Cohort Studies
Prevalence
medicine
Humans
Respiratory function
Respiratory system
Gossypium
biology
business.industry
Respiratory disease
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Dust
medicine.disease
Occupational Diseases
Negative Skin Test
Textile Industry
Chronic Disease
Cohort
Immunology
biology.protein
Female
Pulmonary Ventilation
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 14321246 and 03400131
- Volume :
- 64
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....5410c25265be9340a4d4dc02cdf440e7
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00625948