Acta Montanistica Slovaca (Jun 2007)
Occupational lung diseases related to underground work conditions – a still appealing problem
Abstract
Occupational diseases of respiratory tract are listed among 12 independent nosological unites at the registry of the Slovak republic, (tuberculosis and lung cancer due to chemical carcinogens were excluded and listed elsewhere).In the past 10 years approximately 100 new cases of newly detected professional respiratory diseases have been reported. They encompass about 10% of all occupational diseases, ranging from 5 to 7 of all the most frequent occupational diseases. Pneumoconiosis, allergic and lung cancer represent currently the most frequent and prognostical the most serious occupational diseases.Pneumoconiosis represents an acute and chronic lung disease caused by inhalation and retention of inorganic dust. Silicosis is the most frequently reported pneumoconiosis in our region. It is a progressive aseptic inflamation of lung intersticium, due to long term inhalation and deposition of mineral dust containing free crystalic SiO2 followed by a fibrotic remodeling.The x-ray manifestation without an obvious symptomatology at the beginning of disease is quite common for pneumoconiosis in general. Therefore international standards have been generated in order to describe, quantify these x-ray changes, s.c. ILO Classification. The standard chest radiograph is currently, at justified cases, accompanied by modern diagnostic CT related methods.Besides obligatory function diagnostics, microscopic and cultivation examinations, new modern facultative tests are also available for the purpose of differential diagnostics, allowing to identify diseases with a similar clinical pattern.
