Assessment of pulmonary function test in brick factory workers

Our plain-English summary of Assessment of pulmonary function test in brick factory workers, by N. Bansal, A. Lanjewar, S. Acharya, et al (Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 2022).

The study

• Authors: N. Bansal, A. Lanjewar, S. Acharya, S. Shukla
• Journal: Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
• Published: 2022;11(11):6916-6919
• Cited by: 2 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Background: Industrial workers are exposed to dust and pollutants and thus they get occupational disorders when exposed for a long duration. Occupational diseases mainly affect the respiratory system more than other systems. Some of the respiratory occupation disorders are asbestosis, silicosis, coal worker's pneumoconiosis, work-related asthma, and so on, as the duration of exposure of pollutants increases the pulmonary function decreases.

Method: A total of 100 subjects working in the Brick factories near Wardha district, Maharashtra were examined using a portable spirometer. Their pulmonary function test was assessed three times and the best out of three values was taken. A pretested questionnaire was filled out by the workers which consisted of their sociodemographic details. Consent was obtained from all the subjects for this in their native language. Similarly, a pretested questionnaire was filled by 50 subjects among the normal population, that is, those not working in brick factories, and consent was obtained from all. And then, their pulmonary function test was carried out using a portable spirometer and the best out of the three values was taken. Statistical analysis was done by using descriptive and inferential statistics using the software.

Results: As analyzed by the pulmonary function test data values collected among the brick factory workers and the control group, there was a significant decrease seen in the values of the pulmonary function test of brick factory workers. And as analyzed by the pulmonary function test values of smokers and non-smokers among the brick factory workers, it was seen that there was a significant P value of 0.0001, thus a decrease in pulmonary function test among smokers.

Conclusion: In this study, we evaluate the respiratory function test among the brick factory workers and the control group and make the workers aware of the damage their habits have on their lung capacity and function based on the evaluation of the predicted and the actual value and thus helps them lead a better life. In this study, we also compare the values of pulmonary function tests among the brick factory workers and control groups.

Copyright: © 2022 Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care.

In plain English

This cross-sectional study, carried out over 3 months, tested the lung function of 100 brick factory workers near Wardha, Maharashtra, India. All had been exposed to dust for more than 1 year. The researchers also tested 50 people from the general population who did not work in brick factories, such as corporate workers, businessmen and farmers. The exposure studied was brick factory dust. Asbestosis was mentioned only in the background as one example of an occupational lung disease. Each person did a breathing test (spirometry) three times, and the best result was used. The brick factory workers had lower average values than the comparison group on all four measures. For example, the FEV1/FVC ratio averaged 72.11% in workers and 89.18% in the comparison group (P 0.0001). Among the workers, the 35 smokers had lower values than the 65 non-smokers on all measures; for example, average FVC was 3.03 litres versus 4.33 litres (P 0.0001). The authors concluded that lung function was significantly decreased in brick factory workers, which they attributed to longer exposure to a dusty environment, and that it was decreased among smokers.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Observational, cross-sectional study comparing brick factory workers with an unexposed control group, using spirometry and a questionnaire; groups compared with unpaired t-tests
• Who was studied: 100 brick factory workers with more than 1 year of dust exposure at brick factories in and near Wardha (Sawangi (Meghe)), Maharashtra, India, plus 50 control subjects from the general population (corporate workers, businessmen, farmers) not exposed to brick factory dust; study lasted 3 months
• Exposure: Dust in brick factories, for more than 1 year; smoking was also compared among workers. No asbestos exposure was studied, and no dust measurements are reported.
• Main results:
  • Brick factory workers (n=100) compared with the control group (n=50), means with standard deviations: FVC 3.88±0.74 versus 4.43±0.33 litres; FEV1 3.55±0.61 versus 3.99±0.38 litres; FEV1/FVC 72.11±8.75% versus 89.18±3.44%; PEFR 444.97±59.27 versus 495.72±31.28 l/min; P 0.0001 for each
  • Among brick factory workers, smokers (n=35) compared with non-smokers (n=65): FVC 3.03±0.34 versus 4.33±0.44 litres; FEV1 2.84±0.29 versus 3.92±0.33 litres; FEV1/FVC 63.51±6.51% versus 76.73±5.82%; PEFR 379.05±38.44 versus 475.84±36.31 l/min; P 0.0001 for each
  • In the discussion, the authors reported that 70% of workers had normal results, 14% had obstruction and 10% had restriction
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that lung function test values were significantly decreased in brick factory workers compared with the unexposed control group, which they attributed to exposure to a dusty environment for a longer duration, and that lung function was decreased among smoking compared with non-smoking brick factory workers.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Pulmonary Function Test (PFT), Occupational Disease, Silicosis, Pneumoconiosis, Habit.

Related studies

• Assessment of progression of asbestosis in the sheep model by bronchoalveolar lavage and pulmonary function tests — R. Bégin, M. Rola-Pleszczynski, et al. (1983)
• Findings from high resolution computed tomography of the lung and pleura of symptom free workers exposed to amosite who had normal chest radiographs and pulmonary function tests — S. Neri, A. Antonelli, et al. (1994)
• Relationship between chest X-ray findings and pulmonary function tests in dust workers — Y. Tonori, M. Niitsuya, et al. (2005)
• Pulmonary function in asbestosis: serial tests in a long-term prospective study — M.E. Bader, R.A. Bader, et al. (1965)
• The discriminant value of pulmonary function tests in asbestosis — M.L. Thomson, A.M. Pelzer, et al. (1965)
• Is it time to end race and ethnicity adjustment for pediatric pulmonary function tests? — A.L. Non, K. Akong, et al. (2024)

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