Lung function and respiratory symptoms in subjects with asbestos-related disorders: a cross-sectional study

The prevalence of respiratory symptoms and lung function impairment was studied in a sample of men from a population screening of asbestos-related disorders. When the rates were adjusted for age and smoking habits, 83 subjects with lung fibrosis had an increased prevalence of respiratory symptoms, in particular, phlegm when coughing and breathlessness grades 1-3. Among 200 subjects under 70 years of age who had pleural plaques only, a statistically significant increase was observed in the prevalence of breathlessness grade 1 compared to an external reference population. Among 98 asbestos-exposed subjects who had normal chest X-rays, there was an increase in the prevalence of breathlessness grade 2, cough during the day, and phlegm when coughing. There was a higher proportion of subjects with lung fibrosis who were below 80% of the predicted values for forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) than in the other groups. There was also a higher proportion of subjects with pleural plaques only who were below 90% of the predicted value for FVC than in a group of 90 subjects without asbestos exposure. In accordance with previous studies, these results indicate that pleural plaques in asbestos workers may be of greater importance as a clinical feature than has been recognized in the past.