Coal Worker's Pneumoconiosis Follow-up

  • Author: Amit Dhingra, MD; Chief Editor: Zab Mosenifar, MD   more...
 
Updated: May 10, 2012
 

Further Inpatient Care

Once a baseline radiograph has been established, patients should have follow-up radiographs every 5 years—more often if symptoms worsen.

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Deterrence/Prevention

Coal worker’s pneumoconiosis is a completely preventable disease. As such, the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 limited miner's exposure to respirable dust to less than 1 mg/m3. Miners are encouraged to have an initial chest radiograph on the date of hire and at 5-year intervals thereafter.

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Complications

Closely monitor patients who have developed diffuse interstitial fibrosis for progression to peripheral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) because diffuse interstitial fibrosis is a potent accelerator of this type of cancer. Katabami et al[22] determined that a "positive causal relationship between pneumoconiosis and peripheral-type SCCs of the lung" exists.

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Prognosis

Prognosis is poor once the patient has been determined to have progressive massive fibrosis. Treatment is palliative.

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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Amit Dhingra, MD  Fellow in Pulmonary Disease, University of Tennessee Medical Center at Knoxville

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Richard A Obenour, MD  Professor and Vice-Chair, Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine

Richard A Obenour, MD is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Physicians, and American Thoracic Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

Sat Sharma, MD, FRCPC  Professor and Head, Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Manitoba; Site Director, Respiratory Medicine, St Boniface General Hospital

Sat Sharma, MD, FRCPC is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Sleep Medicine, American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine, American Thoracic Society, Canadian Medical Association, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, Royal Society of Medicine, Society of Critical Care Medicine, and World Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD  Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Medscape Salary Employment

Timothy D Rice, MD  Associate Professor, Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, St Louis University School of Medicine

Timothy D Rice, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Physicians

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Zab Mosenifar, MD  Director, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Director, Women's Guild Pulmonary Disease Institute, Professor and Executive Vice Chair, Department of Medicine, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine

Zab Mosenifar, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Physicians, American Federation for Medical Research, and American Thoracic Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Additional Contributors

The authors and editors of Medscape Reference gratefully acknowledge the contributions of previous author, Julia Richards van Zyl, MD, to the development and writing of this article.

References

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  2. Wade WA, Petsonk EL, Young B, Mogri I. Severe occupational pneumoconiosis among West Virginian coal miners: one hundred thirty-eight cases of progressive massive fibrosis compensated between 2000 and 2009. Chest. Jun 2011;139(6):1458-62. [Medline].

  3. Haselton PS. Spencer's Pathology of the Lung. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 1996:475-83.

  4. Boitelle A, Gosset P, Copin MC, et al. MCP-1 secretion in lung from nonsmoking patients with coal worker's pneumoconiosis. Eur Respir J. Mar 1997;10(3):557-62. [Medline].

  5. Nadif R, Oryszczyn MP, Fradier-Dusch M, et al. Cross sectional and longitudinal study on selenium, glutathione peroxidase, smoking, and occupational exposure in coal miners. Occup Environ Med. Apr 2001;58(4):239-45. [Medline].

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  17. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pneumoconiosis prevalence among working coal miners examined in federal chest radiograph surveillance programs--United States, 1996-2002. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. Apr 18 2003;52(15):336-40. [Medline].

  18. Shen HN, Jerng JS, Yu CJ, Yang PC. Outcome of coal worker's pneumoconiosis with acute respiratory failure. Chest. Mar 2004;125(3):1052-8. [Medline].

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  22. Katabami M, Dosaka-Akita H, Honma K, et al. Pneumoconiosis-related lung cancers: preferential occurrence from diffuse interstitial fibrosis-type pneumoconiosis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. Jul 2000;162(1):295-300. [Medline].

 
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Gross specimen demonstrating simple coal worker's pneumoconiosis.
Gross specimen demonstrating progressive massive fibrosis in a coal miner.
 
 
 
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