Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
2
pubmed:dateCreated
1988-3-10
pubmed:abstractText
The total lung capacity (TLC) is frequently used as a measure of respiratory impairment in patients with asbestosis. Because asbestosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exert opposite effects on the TLC, it may be an insensitive measure of impairment in patients with both abnormalities. To assess this, we compared asbestos-exposed patients with functional evidence of COPD and radiographic evidence of interstitial fibrosis (group 1) to those with interstitial fibrosis alone (group 2). Despite the two groups being comparable in degree of radiographic "fibrosis," no case of restrictive impairment (reduced TLC) was identified among those with both interstitial fibrosis and COPD (group 1), compared to 33 percent of those with interstitial fibrosis alone (group 2). In addition, those patients with both interstitial fibrosis and COPD, compared to those with interstitial fibrosis alone, were found to have greater impairment as measured by alveolar-arterial oxygen difference and diffusing capacity. We conclude that the TLC is an insensitive measure of impairment due to asbestosis in patients with the common setting of coexistent asbestosis and COPD.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
AIM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Feb
pubmed:issn
0012-3692
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
93
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
299-302
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1988
pubmed:articleTitle
Total lung capacity. An insensitive measure of impairment in patients with asbestosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Comparative Study, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't