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Longitudinal decline in lung function among older construction workers
- Source :
- Occupational and environmental medicine. 74(10)
- Publication Year :
- 2016
-
Abstract
- Background Occupational exposures to vapours, gasses, dusts and fumes (VGDF) and chest X-ray abnormalities by the International Labour Office (ILO) classification system are associated with reduced lung function, with the majority of published studies being cross-sectional. We examined the effects of VGDF exposures, as well as ILO parenchymal changes, pleural plaque and diffuse pleural thickening (DPT) on reduction in lung function in a longitudinal study. Methods Chest radiographs and spirometry for 3150 ageing construction workers enrolled in a medical screening programme with a baseline and at least one follow-up examination were studied. Indices for VGDF exposure, parenchymal changes, pleural plaque and DPT severity were developed and used in longitudinal mixed models of lung function. Results Smoking and VGDF exposure were associated with decreased FEV 1 and FVC at baseline as well as accelerated rates of annual decline. High VGDF exposure was associated with a yearly decline of −19.5 mL for FEV 1 and −15.7 mL for FVC. Parenchymal abnormalities, pleural plaque and DPT were more strongly associated with reduced FVC. An increase of one unit in the pleural plaque severity index resulted in approximately −5.3 mL loss of FVC and −3.3 mL loss of FEV 1, with a possible non-linear effect of plaque on FEV 1 . Conclusions Increasing pleural plaque severity was associated with progressively greater loss of FVC and FEV 1 , supporting a causal association. VGDF exposures were associated with reduced FVC and FEV 1 at baseline as well as accelerated annual loss of lung function.
- Subjects :
- Spirometry
Male
Longitudinal study
medicine.medical_specialty
Work
Vital Capacity
Pleural plaque
Pleural thickening
Pulmonary function testing
03 medical and health sciences
FEV1/FVC ratio
0302 clinical medicine
Internal medicine
Forced Expiratory Volume
Occupational Exposure
medicine
Humans
030212 general & internal medicine
Longitudinal Studies
Lung
Lung function
Aged
medicine.diagnostic_test
business.industry
Construction Industry
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Dust
respiratory system
Middle Aged
Pleural Diseases
medicine.disease
030210 environmental & occupational health
respiratory tract diseases
Surgery
Occupational Diseases
Causal association
Cardiology
Pleura
Female
Gases
business
circulatory and respiratory physiology
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 14707926
- Volume :
- 74
- Issue :
- 10
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Occupational and environmental medicine
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....b35084fcc1568e18c3fd219b7f57fd67