BACKGROUND Ascertainment of asbestosis and mesothelioma from underlying cause of death underestimates the burden of these diseases. The aims of this study were to estimate the true frequency of asbestosis and mesothelioma among asbestos workers in Great Britain (GB), and to identify factors associated with the risk of death with these diseases. METHODS The GB Asbestos Survey was established i...

BACKGROUND Accuracy in the clinical diagnosis of asbestosis has significant implications for the future health of affected patients as well as serious medicolegal implications for both patients and asbestos-associated industries. The radiographic gold-standard for diagnosis of asbestosis has been the plain chest radiograph, and in many asbestosis-screening clinics, chest radiograph abnormalitie...

Manganese and extracellular superoxide dismutases (SOD2 and SOD3) are part of the enzymatic defence against reactive oxygen species, which are involved in the pathogenesis of asbestosis. This study investigates whether SOD2Ala - 9Val and SOD3 Arg213Gly genetic polymorphisms represent risk factors for asbestosis in workers exposed to asbestos. The study included 262 cases with asbestosis and 265...

BACKGROUND Analysis of occupational mortality in England and Wales during 1991-2000 showed no decline in work-attributable deaths from asbestosis. AIMS To explore why there was no decline in mortality from asbestosis despite stricter controls on asbestos exposure over recent decades. METHODS Using data from registers of all deaths in Great Britain with mention of mesothelioma or asbestosis ...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to compare the distribution and configuration of lung opacities in patients with cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis and asbestosis by high resolution computed tomography. METHODS Eighteen patients with cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis and 24 with asbestosis were studied. Two independent observers assessed the type and distributions of opacities in the upper,...

BACKGROUND Asbestosis and silicosis are progressive pneumoconioses characterized by interstitial fibrosis following exposure to asbestos or silica dust. We evaluated the potential diagnostic biomarkers for these diseases. METHODS The serum concentrations of Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6), surfactant protein D (SP-D), and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), MMP-7, and MMP-9 were measured in 43 ...

One prospective epidemiologic study of asbestos cement workers with radiological small opacities has been cited as a rationale for attributing excess lung cancer to asbestosis. This approach could have considerable practical value for disease attribution in an era of decreasing exposure. However, a recent International Agency for Research on Cancer review concludes that the mechanism of product...

The impairment of lung function associated with different types of asbestos related disease was examined in 1298 men. The 310 men with circumscribed pleural lesions (plaques) or diffuse pleural thickening without asbestosis were compared with 596 men with asbestosis only and with 322 men with pleural abnormalities and asbestosis, as classified from chest radiographs by ILO pneumoconiosis criter...

Alveolar neutrophil accumulation occurs in asbestosis. To evaluate a possible role for release of neutrophil chemotactic factor (NCF) in the pathogenesis of asbestosis, spontaneous NCF release from alveolar macrophages obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in eight individuals with asbestosis, 13 asbestos-exposed individuals without asbestosis, and five control subjects has been studied. Alv...