Clinical and epidemiologic aspects of tuberculosis in asbestosis patients in connection with dust load
The article covers results of "case-control" study concerning clinical and epidemiologic aspects of tuberculosis in asbestosis patients, in connection with dust load. Findings are that the patients having asbestosis complicated with tuberculosis demonstrated total dust load (both in general dust weight and overall accumulated dose of respirable fibers of chrysotile asbestos) decreased with statistical significance, and therefore prevalence of tuberculosis among asbestosis patients decreased 5 times, in spite of growing prevalence of tuberculosis in Russia. Now the disease shows no progressive forms, light and medium course, lower prevalence of bacterioexcretion, longer survival of the patients. Trend of morbidity among the patients having asbestosis complicated with tuberculosis supports epidemiologic situation of tuberculosis in the country. Some workplaces remain with increased concentrations of chrysotile-containing dust, thus in future the patients having asbestosis complicated with tuberculosis could get occupational malignancies.