Occupational and Environmental Lung Diseases Flashcards
Small rounded opacities are seen in ___
Silicosis
Coal worker’s pneumoconiosis
Small linear opacities are seen in _____
Asbestosis
For patients with a history of asbestos exposure, conventional computed tomography (CT) is more sensitive for the detection of _________
pleural thickening
Particles ____ in diameter do not penetrate beyond the nose and throat
> 10–15 μm
Particles <10 μm in size are deposited below the ____.
larynx
Particles ~2.5–10 μm (coarse-mode fraction) contain crustal elements such as ___, aluminum, and iron. These particles mostly deposit relatively high in the _____.
silica, aluminum, and iron
tracheobronchial tree
These fine particles are created primarily by the burning of fossil fuels or hightemperature industrial processes resulting in condensation products from gases, fumes, or vapors.
Fine mode fraction <2.5um
The major health effects from exposure to asbestos are _____
pleural and pulmonary fibrosis
cancers of the respiratory tract
pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma.
A diffuse interstitial fibrosing disease of the lung that is directly related to the intensity and duration of exposure.
Asbestosis
Exposure has taken place for at least ___ before the disease becomes manifest.
10 years
The mechanisms by which asbestos fibers induce lung fibrosis are not completely understood but are known to involve ____ due to the generation of reactive oxygen species by the transition metals on the surface of the fibers as well as from cells engaged in phagocytosis.
oxidative injury
____ that usually are first noted in the ____ are the chest radiographic hallmark of asbestosis.
Irregular or linear opacities
lower lung fields
An indistinct heart border or a _____ appearance in the lung fields may be seen. [Asbestosis]
“ground-glass”
HRCT may show distinct changes of _____ in length that appear to be parallel to the pleural surface
subpleural curvilinear lines 5–10 mm
Pulmonary function testing in asbestosis reveals a ____ pattern with a decrease in both lung volumes and diffusing capacity.
restrictive
_____ is the most common cancer associated with asbestos exposure.
Lung cancer
____ , both pleural and peritoneal, are also associated with asbestos exposure.
Mesotheliomas
In contrast to lung cancers, these tumors do not appear to be associated with smoking.
Mesotheliomas
The risk of mesothelioma is much ____ than that of lung cancer among asbestos-exposed workers,
less
The major occupational exposures include mining; s ting; sand blasting; glass and cement manufacturing; foundry work; packing of silica flour; and quarrying, particularly of granite.
Silicosis
A characteristic HRCT pattern known as ____ in Silicosis
“crazy paving”
With long-term, less intense exposure, small rounded opacities in the upper lobes may appear on the chest radiograph after 15–20 years of exposure, usually without associated impairment of lung function
Simple Silicosis