Premium
Diagnostic value of exercise testing in asbestosis
Author(s) -
Zejda Jan
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.4700160309
Subject(s) - medicine , asbestosis , asbestos , lung fibrosis , occupational disease , lung , pulmonary fibrosis , physical therapy , gastroenterology , pathology , materials science , metallurgy
The diagnostic value of simple exercise testing was examined in 81 current male asbestos‐cement workers, divided into four groups according to the International Labour Office (ILO) category of irregular opacities: 0/0, 25; 1/1, 24; 1/2, 22; and 2/2, 10 men. An increasing X‐ray score was accompanied by more severe functional abnormality in keeping with the development of a restrictive defect. Symptom‐limited oxygen uptake (V O2SL ) did not depend on the X‐ray grade and was 76.7, 71.9, 68.7, and 73.5% pv, respectively, for the four groups. Subjects with ILO score 1/1 had significantly higher exercise ventilation at O 2 uptake of 1.01 · min −1 (V E 1.0 ) than those with grade 0/0. End‐exercise tidal volume (V TSL in 1) decreased with an increasing X‐ray score: 2.14, 1.98, 1.85, and 1.62, respectively. V TSL standardized for vital capacity (V TSL /VC) followed the same pattern. Asbestosis was diagnosed in 25 men, in whom V E 1.0 was significantly higher (p < .02) and V TSL lower (p < .01) than in the 0/0 group. V 02SL was similar in both groups. The findings suggest that V E 1.0 and V TSL may be early functional indicators of asbestos‐related interstitial lung fibrosis. The measurement of both exercise indices may increase the certainty of clinical diagnosis of asbestosis in subjects with less advanced disease.