Are patterns of disease related changes in asbestos – induced disease in Slovenia changing?

• Main Authors: Aleš Rozman, Zlata Remškar, Rok Cesar, Matjaž Fležar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Slovenian Medical Association 2006-09-01
• Series: Zdravniški Vestnik
• Subjects: asbestos-induced disease; fibrosis; asbestos; occupational disease; epidemiological study
• Online Access: http://vestnik.szd.si/index.php/ZdravVest/article/view/2028
• ISSN: 1318-0347; 1581-0224

<p><strong>Background:</strong> In Slovenia reside several thousand people with occupational asbestos exposure. The purpose of our study was to determine the quality of treatment in patients with asbestos-induced disease, severity and pattern of disease. We tried to establish whether the pattern of disease has changed during last 15 years in according with decreasing sources of asbestos exposure.</p><p><strong>Methods:</strong> In a retrospective study we analyzed records of 109 patients with asbestos-induced disease, who were treated at KOPA Golnik hospital between June 2003 and June 2005. The data were compared with data from group of 105 patients, who were treated in hospital between years 1980 and 1988. We analyzed demographic data, exposure data, symptoms, pulmonary function data, radiological data and presence of coexisting diseases.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> 49.5 % of records did not include some data about asbestos exposure such as description of the work post, latency period, duration and intensity of exposure. Inconsistencies are also in imaging usage. In comparison with similar group of patients from eighties, patients in this study were on average more than 10 years older, smaller share of them came from Anhovo, and the share of patients who worked in direct contact with asbestos is decreasing. Patients from the present group have a different pattern of disease with less interstitial lung changes and diffuse pleural thickenings, but more pleural plaques.</p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> The pattern of asbestos-induced disease in Slovenia has been changing in direction of lesser severity, because the intensity of exposure is on the decrease. This calls for more systematical and unified collecting of all parameters, necessary for diagnosing of asbestosinduced disease.</p>