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Relationship between radiographic profusion, lung function in patients with CWP exists
Progressively lower lung function existed across the range of small opacity profusions in patients with coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, according to study results.
“The current findings differ from the widely held historical literature and modern medical text dictums that there is no relationship between radiographic profusion and lung function in those with simple [coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP)],” David J. Blackley, DrPH, of the Division of Respiratory Disease Studies at the CDC, and colleagues wrote. “It is biologically plausible that increasing scarring of the lungs could be associated with progressive impairment of lung function, even if this may be difficult to demonstrate using categorical lower limits of normal as the criterion for defining outcomes.”
Blackley and colleagues enrolled 8,230 miners from 2005 to 2013 as part of the Enhanced Coal Workers’ Health Surveillance Program to examine the relationship between small opacity profusion and lung function in underground coal miners with CWP nationwide.
The researchers analyzed differences in miner characteristics and lung function values, such as percent predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second and percent predicted forced vital capacity, across the range of profusion subcategories for small opacities.
The mean age of the participants was 46.8 years and the participants spent an average of 19 years performing underground coal mining.
The researchers identified 3.3% of the participants as having a determination of category 1 or 2 simple CWP; 210 of which had category 1.
Miners with a 0/0 profusion had a percent predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) of 96.3% compared with 82.4% in miners with a 2/3 profusion.
The researchers also identified miners with 0/0 profusion had a percent predicted forced vital capacity (FVC) of 98.9% compared with 92.2% among those with 2/3 profusion. Miners also experienced a reduction in percent predicted FEV1/FVC from a 0/0 profusion (76.6%) to a 2/3 profusion (69.1%).
“The results of our analysis point to progressive lung function impairment across the range of radiographic profusion of simple CWP, addressing a longstanding question in the field of occupational respiratory disease,” the researchers wrote.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.