Abstract |
Interstitial lung disease developed in a 32-yr-old chemist after working 8 yr in a dusty atmosphere containing aluminum powders. Bronchoalveolar lavage disclosed a helper T-lymphocyte alveolitis, and transbronchial lung biopsies showed sarcoidlike epithelioid granulomas. These granulomas contained dust identified by mineralogic analyses as consisting mainly of aluminum particles. Nasal and liver biopsies and a Kveim test did not reveal extrapulmonary granulomatous infiltration. An extensive immunologic work-up showed none of the abnormalities classically seen in sarcoidosis, but peripheral blood lymphocytes exhibited blastic transformation in the presence of soluble aluminum compounds. About 1 yr after cessation of exposure, a chest radiograph and lung function tests remained essentially unchanged, but signs of alveolitis disappeared. This observation suggests that aluminum may cause granulomatous lung disease accompanied by a helper T-lymphocyte alveolitis, similar to that of berylliosis and sarcoidosis. Further observations would be necessary to show if this constitutes an early stage of aluminum-induced fibrosis ( aluminum lung).
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Authors | P De Vuyst, P Dumortier, L Schandené, M Estenne, A Verhest, J C Yernault |
Journal | The American review of respiratory disease
(Am Rev Respir Dis)
Vol. 135
Issue 2
Pg. 493-7
(Feb 1987)
ISSN: 0003-0805 [Print] United States |
PMID | 3813209
(Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
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Chemical References |
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Topics |
- Adult
- Aluminum
(adverse effects)
- Bronchi
(metabolism)
- Dust
(adverse effects)
- Granuloma
(chemically induced, diagnostic imaging, immunology, pathology)
- Humans
- Lung Diseases
(chemically induced, diagnostic imaging, immunology, pathology)
- Male
- Minerals
(metabolism)
- Pulmonary Alveoli
(metabolism)
- Radiography, Thoracic
- Sarcoidosis
(pathology)
- Therapeutic Irrigation
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