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Emphysema in Papua New Guinea—A Pathological Study
Author(s) -
Cooke Robin,
Toogood Ian
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.596
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-5994
pISSN - 0004-8291
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-5994.1975.tb03645.x
Subject(s) - new guinea , pathological , pulmonary emphysema , medicine , epidemiology , pathogenesis , respiratory tract , pathology , respiratory system , lung , ethnology , history
Summary: The authors examined 47 lungs obtained at post mortem in Papua New Guinea. These were inflated with formalin, fixed under pressure, sliced and examined for emphysema using a “point‐counting” method. There was no emphysema before the age of 30 years. The pathological types encountered were similar to those in the United Kingdom. In patients over 50 years of age there appeared to be little difference between the amount of emphysema present in Papua New Guinea and in the United Kingdom. Environmental air pollution seemed to be relatively unimportant in the pathogenesis. Repeated lower respiratory tract infections may be more important. Emphysema appeared to be more prevalent in lowland than in highland dwellers. The findings of this pathological study supported the clinical and epidemiological studies carried out concurrently, but independently by others.